Yankees send Max Fried back to IL in surprise move; elbow bone bruise returns

In what could end up being a massive blow to the New York Yankees’ starting rotation, co-ace Max Fried returned to the 15-day injured list Monday with a left elbow bone bruise — the same injury that sidelined him for two months earlier this summer.

The move was a surprise and came just hours after news broke that lefty Carlos Rodón (elbow inflammation) was expected to return from the injured list Tuesday and start on the road vs. the Baltimore Orioles.

Fried seemed fine Thursday after his last start, in which he gave up one run over five innings in a 1-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners. It was his fifth start since coming off an IL stint with the same injury that had him out from May 13 until July 22.

In that start, Fried didn’t show any signs of injury and his average fastball velocity (93.3 mph) was near what it had been all season (93.2 mph). But he did describe the outing as “a grind” and said that he “didn’t necessarily have my best stuff.”

“I was a little erratic,” he said at the time. “But I was able to make some big pitches.”

He added that he “wasn’t as in rhythm as I wanted to be. The execution was good at times, but I felt like I was in and out of it and didn’t really have a good rhythm to be able to maintain it from Pitch 1 to where I came out.”

A potential saving grace for the Yankees? The club didn’t put Fried on the 60-day injured list, which would have ended his season. The Yankees appear to be holding out hope that he could still return by only putting him on the 15-day IL.

Fried is 4-4 with a 2.81 ERA in 15 starts this season. It’s fair to wonder if last season’s workload has caught up to him. In 2025 — his first season with the Yankees — he threw a career-high 195 1/3 innings in 32 starts, also a career-best.

Fried is in the second year of an eight-year, $218 million deal.

The Yankees had hoped to head into October with a rotation fronted by Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole and Fried. That might now be in jeopardy, though they have coverage in Rodón and lefty Ryan Weathers, who has been especially good of late (2.56 ERA over his last 11 starts).

The sudden departure of Fried makes it even more important that the rest of the Yankees’ stars return healthy — and soon.

Over the weekend, manager Aaron Boone said left fielder Cody Bellinger (left hamstring strain) could begin a rehab assignment either Thursday or Friday. Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (right calf strain) has been hitting and running the bases, though Boone said he didn’t know when Stanton might attempt a rehab assignment. Boone added that Aaron Judge (first right rib stress fracture) began playing catch at Yankee Stadium on Friday.

Fried’s injury also should keep righty Will Warren in the rotation for now. The return of Rodón seemed sure to bump Warren to the bullpen or to Triple A at some point. It even seemed likely that Rodón would piggyback Tuesday’s start with Warren entering after him. But Warren likely will keep his spot in the rotation with Fried on ice.