The New York Yankees announced Friday that All-Star left-hander Max Fried is being placed on the 15-day injured list with a bone bruise in his left elbow.
Fried will be shut down from throwing until he undergoes follow-up testing, either in a few weeks' time or when he becomes asymptomatic. The team won't have a timetable for his return until then. Fried himself described the timeline as "ambiguous," according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News.
Fried left Wednesday's start against the Baltimore Orioles after just three innings because of elbow soreness. An MRI taken Thursday revealed the bone bruise. However, he said the scan showed no ligament damage, according to SNY's Chelsea Janes.
"I'm definitely bummed that I'm going to have to be missing some time but overall happy that it doesn't look like it's going to be anything serious, no surgery required or anything like that," Fried said, according to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic.
He added, "The long-term outlook still looks good."
Still, the Yankees will have noted orthopedist Dr. Neal ElAttrache look over the results of his scan to confirm that there's no ligament damage, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
This is the first elbow injury of Fried's career, although he did miss time with forearm issues in 2023 and 2024 as a member of the Atlanta Braves.
Fried is enjoying a great start to his 2026 season, sporting a 3.21 ERA, 2.72 FIP, and 1.00 WHIP along with 50 strikeouts and just one home run allowed across an MLB-best 61 2/3 innings. He finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting last season after joining the Yankees on an eight-year, $218-million contract the offseason prior.
The Yankees lost Fried just five days after Carlos Rodón made his long-awaited season debut following offseason elbow surgery. They're also still waiting for Gerrit Cole, who missed 2025 because of Tommy John surgery, to complete his own rehab assignment.
New York does not plan to speed up Cole's rehab program in the wake of Fried's injury, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The former Cy Young winner is expected to make at least two more minor-league starts before returning to the majors.
Rookie Elmer Rodríguez could be a candidate to take Fried's rotation spot in the short term. The 22-year-old made his MLB debut April 29, allowing five runs in 8 2/3 innings before being optioned back to Triple-A. He's scheduled to start for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.
