NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Max Fried will come off the injured list ahead of schedule Wednesday to pitch for the New York Yankees in the second game of their day-night doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The ace left-hander has been sidelined since May 14 because of a left elbow bone bruise and had been lined up to make a second minor league rehab start Wednesday. But after Tuesday’s game was postponed because of a poor weather forecast, the Yankees announced Gerrit Cole to start the opener of Wednesday’s twinbill and slated Fried for Game 2.
鈥淭hat sets us up from a starting standpoint in Philadelphia and beyond,鈥� Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, looking ahead to his team’s weekend series. 鈥淢ax was way on board with it. I think it makes a ton of sense and we can continue to build him this way.鈥�
A three-time All-Star, Fried is 4-3 with a 3.21 ERA in 10 starts for New York this season. He tossed three innings last Friday in a rehab outing for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre against Worcester, allowing two runs and five hits with three strikeouts and no walks. He threw 52 pitches, 32 for strikes.
The next day, Boone said Fried would make at least one more rehab start in the minors before rejoining the big league rotation.
But the Yankees’ plans changed when Tuesday night’s scheduled game against the Pirates was postponed in the afternoon because of a rainy forecast and set to be made up as part of New York鈥檚 second doubleheader in a four-day span.
The regularly scheduled game begins at 1:05 p.m. and the makeup at 7:05 p.m.
鈥淗e鈥檚 ready to go. He鈥檚 been ready for a while,鈥� Boone said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just about getting him built up. So, obviously, he doesn鈥檛 have a full clip yet.鈥�
Will Warren had been slated to start Tuesday night against fellow right-hander Bubba Chandler and the Pirates. The Yankees are off Thursday, and Warren will start Friday night’s series opener at Philadelphia and be followed Saturday by Cam Schlittler.
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Chandler will pitch the nightcap Wednesday after Mitch Keller starts Game 1 for Pittsburgh. The Pirates are also off Thursday before a home series against the Chicago Cubs.
The 32-year-old Fried went 19-5 with a 2.86 ERA over 32 starts in 2025, his first season with the Yankees after leaving Atlanta as a free agent to sign a with New York in December 2024.
Cole returned to the Yankees on May 22 following reconstructive elbow surgery and the doubleheader marks the first time they are in the rotation at the same time.
鈥淲e have high hopes this year,鈥� Boone said. 鈥淭hose are two of the big reasons why and hopefully we鈥檝e got a good run in us with them right in the middle of it.鈥�
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