This afternoon, Brian Cashman spoke with reporters at the GM meetings in Las Vegas, revealing among other tidbits that that Max Fried recently underwent surgery to remove a bone spur from his throwing elbow. The left-hander will be able to resume throwing at some point in December and is expected to make a full recovery in time for spring training.
Fried experienced issues with his throwing arm throughout the 2026 season. He first hit the injured list in mid-May after suffering a bone bruise in his elbow
in a start against the Orioles. He returned in July but only lasted about a few weeks back in the rotation before another bone bruise landed him on the IL again in mid-August. That trip to the IL was described as more precautionary than anything at the time, and indeed Fried was activated in September and was fully stretched out by the time the playoffs rolled around.
Even as Fried’s throwing arm proved troublesome, he managed to produce when on the field. Fried posted a 2.80 ERA and 2.65 FIP in 2026, both slight improvements on his stellar 2025 debut campaign with the Yankees, albeit in just 112 innings this year.
You never want to hear that your ace needs surgery, but the fact that Fried has avoided major injury, all while pitching at a high level when active, suggests he could be even better when he returns in 2027. Of course, his expectation of being back for spring training is complicated by the fact that we have no idea when spring will even start next season. In any event, whenever the season starts, the Yankees will expect a healthy and elite version of Fried.
