BALTIMORE – The Yankees have spent most of the summer waiting on their offense, confident that one of baseball’s best rotations would be waiting at the other end.
They’re still hopeful that will be the case, even after placing Max Fried on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a recurrence of the left elbow bone bruise that cost him more than two months earlier this season.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that the team believes it is possible Fried will miss the minimum amount of time. In a promising sign, the left-hander has already resumed throwing after undergoing an MRI in New York, according to Boone.
“We just kind of collectively decided it’s probably best to make sure we get this calmed down and hopefully keep it a smaller issue,” Boone said.
With Fried scratched from the series, the Yankees activated left-hander Carlos Rodón to start on Tuesday night against the Orioles at Camden Yards.
It was to be Rodón’s first big league start since June 28, and his pitch count will be limited, likely around 55 pitches. Boone said Will Warren will start the series’ second game on Wednesday, followed by Gerrit Cole on Thursday.
Cody Bellinger – also on the injured list as he works back from a left hamstring strain – said the Yankees still believe a day is coming when their roster will be whole.
“It just feels like every time someone comes off, someone goes on,” Bellinger said. “It’s kind of been like that all year. We’ve been fighting all year, battling injuries. Nothing’s ever going to be handed to you, so you’ve just got to keep on going. Especially in this division, you’ve got to show up every day and win, no matter what happens.”
According to Boone, Fried reported discomfort after his most recent start on Thursday against the Mariners, when he permitted one run on five hits and two walks over five innings in a 1-0 loss at Yankee Stadium.
Speaking to reporters that night, Fried described the outing as “a grind” and said he “didn’t necessarily have my best stuff.”
The 32-year-old Fried had made five starts since coming off the IL on July 22 and had allowed just five runs in 24 2/3 innings (a 1.82 ERA).
“He was close to being able to make his next start, but we’re just trying to be a little bit cautious here and manage this thing as we get down the stretch,” Boone said.
In his second season of an eight-year, $218 million contract, Fried is 4-4 with a 2.81 ERA in 15 starts, covering 86 1/3 innings. He tossed a career-high 195 2/3 innings last year, when he was 19-5 with a 2.86 ERA in 32 starts.
During Fried’s previous IL stint, he described the sensation as akin to repeatedly hitting your elbow on a table. He was shelved after a May 13 start at Baltimore and did not return until July 22.
The Yankees have been plotting an envisioned rotation of Cole, Fried, Rodón, Cam Schlittler and either Will Warren or Ryan Weathers.
They’re also counting down until a day when they can plug Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge back in the lineup. Bellinger appears to be the closest, set to begin a Minor League rehab assignment on Thursday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
“The good thing about this organization is the depth,” Bellinger said. “We have a lot of arms that are talented and can win a lot of baseball games. It speaks to the depth that we have, and hopefully we get it back at the right time.”