Fried has surgery to remove bone spur from pitching elbow

NEW YORK -- Yankees left-hander Max Fried underwent surgery to remove a bone spur from his pitching elbow and is expected to be ready for Spring Training, general manager Brian Cashman said on Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Fried’s second season in New York was interrupted twice by what was described as a bone bruise or contusion in his left elbow, resulting in assignments to the injured list in May and August.

A three-time All-Star, Fried posted a 5-5 record and a 2.80 ERA in 20 starts, spanning 112 2/3 innings. He turns 33 in January.

Cashman said Fried will have six weeks of rest and rehab before his training program begins in the second week of December. He will be entering the third year of an eight-year, $218 million contract.

Additionally, Cashman said the team received good news regarding Aaron Judge’s follow-up visit with Dr. Gregory Pearl, a Texas-based specialist who reviewed the healing of the right rib fracture that cost Judge most of the 2026 season.

“He’s currently in a good place,” Cashman said. “No new added features to his circumstance, outside of [that Judge will] take the winter to continue to rest up and he’ll be ready to go. But there’s no new procedures or anything there.”

That may be the biggest development of the winter for the Yankees, who saw their offense stall without the captain. Judge was limited to 66 games due to the rib fracture and a September right calf strain.

“I know one thing -- we’ll be instantly better if we have a healthy Aaron Judge,” Cashman said. “That’ll lengthen and deepen our lineup. But it’s my job to improve on all aspects of it, not just count on him coming back to fix everything.”

Searching for slug
After managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner recently pointed to the offense as a concern, specifically mentioning regression among several key hitters, Cashman said tweaking the offense will be near the top of his wish list.

“I definitely know we need to improve production in a lot of different spots on the club if we can,” Cashman said. “So we’ll be open-minded to finding what we can run into.”

Cashman said several internal candidates are looking to secure second base, including Anthony Volpe, who increased his versatility in the Minors. Cashman said he’ll seek outside help, too, while noting that both Volpe and third baseman Ryan McMahon are “capable of a lot more.”

Luis García Jr. is being viewed as both a first baseman and second baseman, with Cashman characterizing the latter position as “something we’ll explore and be open-minded to consider.” García previously played second base for the Nationals.

As they have for at least a year, the Yankees continue to seek a right-handed-hitting catcher to pair with Austin Wells. Cashman said Ali Sánchez “did a great job” behind the plate, but the club would like to secure a catcher with a better offensive profile.

“If we can find a good defending, right-handed-hitting option to level up, that’d be great,” Cashman said. “But that’s also slim pickings. We tried that in the summer and couldn’t run into that. We’ll take a look again.”

Bednar on clock
David Bednar has until Nov. 17 to decide if he will accept a qualifying offer, valued at $23.15 million for one year. That decision could settle a major piece of an anticipated bullpen makeover, with several players becoming free agents.

“That’s probably our biggest need, because we have so many vacancies,” Cashman said, mentioning Bednar, Tim Hill and Paul Blackburn.

Cashman described Bednar as “a cool customer” in the closer’s role, saying, “He’s been a good addition so far, and hopefully we find a way to keep him.”

Bednar converted 35 of 39 save chances this past season.

Staff changes
The Yankees are still “working through our hitting coach situation,” according to Cashman, who described James Rowson as “a free agent.”

“He’s talking to other clubs, and we’re also engaged in the marketplace and also internally, determining what’s next and best for us,” Cashman said. “It’s not resolved yet.”

Pitching coaches Matt Blake, Preston Claiborne and Desi Druschel are all returning in their previous roles, with Luis Rojas and Dan Fiorito set on the baselines.

Aaron Gershenfeld has been promoted to Major League field coordinator and catching coach, having previously served as the organization’s run prevention and catching coordinator.

Gershenfeld, 34, will replace Tanner Swanson, who was hired as the Mariners’ bench coach. Cashman described Swanson as “an exceptional baseball mind.”

“He did a great job for us,” Cashman said. “He’s always had an interest in being a bench coach, and maybe even a future manager someday.”