Coming out of the All-Star break, the New York Yankees are feeling the pressure to turn their season around. After a rough stretch before the break, they lost their lead in the American League East and now face key needs in both the infield and bullpen as the trade deadline nears.
They’re also making changes regarding ace pitcher Max Fried. Since arriving in the offseason to fill in for the injured Gerrit Cole, Fried has been outstanding, posting a 2.43 ERA over 20 starts. However, after leaving his most recent game early due to a blister, the Yankees announced they’ll change how they monitor his health between starts.
“You’re paying closer attention in more ways than one now,” manager Aaron Boone said, according to Pete Caldera of NorthJersey.com.
Despite Fried’s history of injuries during his nine-year career, the Yankees have relied on him heavily — he’s thrown the third-most innings of any pitcher this season. Boone said Fried could still surpass his career high for innings pitched this year but emphasized the team will be more careful about his workload from now on.
“He’s in his prime and I think he can handle it,” Boone added. “But you have to be very mindful.”
Bringing Fried in has paid off, especially given other rotation injuries. Now, as he deals with this setback, the left-hander will need to scale back slightly to stay healthy for the postseason push.
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