The Yankees’ injury list is expanding. Each of their recent games saw a name exiting in the middle. First, it was Giancarlo Stanton, then Jasson Dominguez, then Jose Caballero, and the list was getting extended with each day. The latest injury scare of a pitcher from the ongoing game against the Orioles comes at a time when the Yankees are yet to get back Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt.
If the injury scare was not enough, the latest update is far more concerning for the Bleacher Creatures.
“Fried will be examined by Dr. Christopher Ahmad and undergo imaging tomorrow in NY,” MLB insider Greg Joyce shared via X.
Max Fried started the game for the Yankees against the Orioles, but he survived till the 3rd inning. In between, he had allowed 3 runs and five hits. Just when the fans were hoping that Aaron Boone would pull Fried out for struggling, things got cleared up soon. Paul Blackburn took over at the mound and gave up another 3 runs in his 2 innings.
Fried will be examined by Dr. Christopher Ahmad and undergo imaging tomorrow in NY. https://t.co/L2TykFxkXh
— Greg Joyce (@GJoyce9) May 13, 2026
Oriole Park was clueless about what happened with Fried, and he was seen walking down the tunnel. Now, the Yankees revealed that Fried is suffering from left elbow posterior soreness. His availability now all depends on how his imaging comes. At worst, Fried will be missed in the upcoming Subway series. Still, when it’s the Yankees, we are not supposed to forecast the injury intensity before anything becomes concrete.
Previously, Fried faced a blister issue on his left finger. He made four trips to the IL between 2018 and 2023 and had another last year. Hopefully, the same will not be repeated this time.
The Yankees invested $218 million in Fried for 8 years. It was the largest for a left-handed pitcher in MLB history, but after Fried’s injury-laden 2025, hopes were high this time.
Fried has recorded a 3.21 ERA this year, and with his injury scare, the Yankees’ starting rotation has started to look concerning. Cole is still in rehab. The Yankees are in no hurry with him, and expectedly, he would return by late May or early June. Luis Gil is also out with Right shoulder inflammation, and reportedly, he is out for the next 3 weeks.
For Schmidt, his return this year is still uncertain after his Tommy John surgery.
Remember last year when Aaron Boone struggled to field a 5-man rotation due to injuries. That time, Gil, Schmidt, and Cole were sidelined, just as now. The Yankees were then forced to bring out names like Marcus Stroman, which also proved a failure.
The Yankees fielded a much-anticipated roster
Fans and insiders rallied hard behind Spencer Jones for his MLB debut, and the Yankees finally let him on the active roster against the Brewers. He was promoted in place of injured Dominguez and was coming off a .258 batting average with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs this year in the minors. Expectations were high, but he has yet to deliver.
Jones started as the designated hitter and batted sixth. However, he faced an intense greeting from Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski, who threw triple-digit fastballs topping out at 103.6 mph. Eventually, Jones finished his debut game 0-for-2 with two strikeouts and a walk. In the ongoing game against the Orioles, he could manage to steal 2 bases and nothing else from his single at-bats.
The next name was Anthony Volpe. After his struggling 2025, Volpe was in the IL and returned recently, only to be demoted to the minors due to Caballero’s dominance at the plate. However, Caballero’s injury opened Volpe’s gate, and he made his 2026 debut tonight against the Orioles. Till now, he could score nothing from his 3 at-bats.
So, tonight’s game was in the limelight for many reasons. But nothing comes right for the Yankees. Fried got injured, and Volpe and Jones struggling was the highlights of the day.
