Yankees' Max Fried Kicks Off Rehab Assignment with Triple-A Scranton

New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried has commenced his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, marking his return to the mound after being placed on the injured list on May 15 due to a bone bruise in his left elbow.

The 32-year-old left-hander pitched three innings for the RailRiders, giving up two runs on five hits while striking out three batters. Notably, he surrendered a home run to Nate Eaton on an 88 mph cutter. Fried was scheduled to throw around 50 pitches but ended up with 52.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone indicated that Fried will make at least one more start in the minors before the team evaluates his readiness to return to the major league roster. Boone stated, "He will go again in five days and ramp up from there. We’ll see at that point if we take him or if he’s ready to come back."

Prior to his injury, Fried had a solid performance record, holding a 3.21 ERA across 10 starts with 50 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings. His last outing before the injury saw him allow three runs and five hits in three innings against the Baltimore Orioles.

Fried's rehab comes at a crucial time for the Yankees, who are currently 54-42, trailing the Tampa Bay Rays by 2.5 games in the AL East. This situation is further complicated by the ongoing absence of Aaron Judge, who is still recovering from a fractured rib and has not yet resumed baseball activities.