NEW YORK (AP) — New York Yankees starting pitcher Max Fried inched closer to a possible minor league rehab assignment, throwing 36 pitches in his second two-inning simulated game on Sunday.
Before the Yankees concluded a three-game series with the Twins, Fried faced third baseman Ryan McMahon and catcher Ali Sánchez. Manager Aaron Boone said Fried’s next simulated game would likely occur Thursday or Friday with an increased pitch count and pitching in a minor league game could be the next step.
The 32-year-old left-hander has been out since May 13, when he left a start in Baltimore after three innings when he velocity noticeably dropped and he threw only 34 of 61 pitches for strikes. He also had an MRI and CT scan that were reviewed by Los Angeles Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
Fried faced hitters for the first time on Tuesday when he threw about 30 pitches to McMahon and Trent Grisham, who were still on the injured list at the time.
“It’s been good,” manager Aaron Boone said. “It’s been a good run-up for him and obviously another step today so hopefully we’ll obviously get closer by definition, but I know he’s felt really good. He’s recovered really well in all his throwing stuff. Even going back to when he left that game in Baltimore, it was pretty short order where he was doing pretty well, so that was encouraging."
Fried faced hitters again two days after the Yankees put Carlos Rodón on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation. Fried, Gerrit Cole and Rodón have yet to be on New York’s active roster at the same time because of injuries.
Fried is 4-3 with a 3.21 ERA in 10 starts after going 19-5 with a 2.86 ERA and making the All-Star team last season, his first with the Yankees while Cole was recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery. He left Atlanta as a free agent to sign a $218 million, eight-year contract with New York in December 2024.
“Feeling healthy, so it’s been really encouraging,” Freid said before Saturday’s 11-4 loss to Minnesota. “Obviously, I would love to be able to just snap my fingers and be back out there. But with being a starting pitcher, it takes a little bit to have the build-up.”
New York’s starters began Sunday with a 3.54 ERA, fourth amongst the 30 teams. During the past nine games, New York starters have a 5.76 ERA.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
CA Is Burning said:
CA Is Burning said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.