Max Fried appears to be on the verge of returning to the Yankees.
The left-hander will make one more rehab start on Wednesday before rejoining the Bombers’ rotation next week when the team is in Chicago, manager Aaron Boone told the “Talkin’ Yanks” podcast. Fried is expected to work up to roughly 60 pitches in his final rehab action.
Out since May 14 with a bone bruise in his throwing elbow, Fried made his first rehab start with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday. He allowed two runs on five hits in three innings of work, throwing 52 pitches (32 strikes). He also struck out three and walked none.
The 32-year-old Fried had a steady start to his second season in pinstripes before hitting the IL. He carried a 3.21 ERA with a 4-3 record, while opponents hit just .199 against him. Fried had additionally pitched at least five innings in every start except his last, when he exited early with the injury.
The Yankees — dealing with key injuries to Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Carlos Rodón — will certainly be happy to have Fried back. They have been treading water at 21-21 since Judge last played on May 31, and they begin a difficult 10-game road trip on Friday against the Phillies, White Sox and Cubs. Fried lines up to throw at some point in the four-game series against the White Sox.
