ATLANTA – Max Fried had Friday night circled on his calendar, the Yankees’ first game back from the All-Star break, which he expected would feature a return to the Truist Park mound for an assignment against the Braves, his former club. A troublesome blister on the left-hander’s left index finger altered those plans.
With Fried unavailable, the Yankees intended to offer the start to right-hander Cam Schlittler in what would have represented the rookie’s second big league assignment. But Schlittler was scratched, too – dealing with discomfort near his right biceps that prompted an MRI during the All-Star break.
That led manager Aaron Boone to a less-than-ideal third choice: outlining a bullpen game for the Yankees’ return to action, beginning with right-hander Ian Hamilton. New York’s gassed relievers trudged into a well-deserved All-Star break, and now they’ll be right back in the thick of duty.
“We’re in a little bit of a tough spot,” Boone said.
From the Yankees’ perspective, the upside is that Fried and Schlittler are both expected to be ready for the upcoming four-game series against the Blue Jays in Toronto, which begins Monday.
Fried said he is “hopeful” he’ll pitch in Toronto, while Boone characterized that as “very realistic.” Boone added that Schlittler’s MRI came back clean. Schlittler touched 100 mph while striking out seven Mariners in 5 1/3 innings in his Major League debut on July 9 in New York.
“We’ve got the rest of the season to worry about, and I want to make sure that I’m ready to go,” Fried said.
Fried said he has continued playing catch since Saturday, when he exited a start against the Cubs after three innings. The blister kept Fried from being active on the American League’s roster for the All-Star Game on Tuesday, though he was present in Atlanta and participated in the festivities.
“It’s progressing well,” Fried said. “We’re definitely optimistic.”
Will Warren and Marcus Stroman are set to pitch the other two games in Atlanta. Boone said the Yankees wanted to keep Warren pitching with an extra day of rest, while Stroman had already begun his pre-start preparation with Sunday in mind.
“It was just kind of late in the game,” Boone said.
Fried dealt with blister issues during his career in Atlanta, which he attributes in part to the humidity of pitching in the summer there. Blisters required four trips to the injured list with the Braves – 23 days between starts in 2018, 12 days each in ‘19 and ‘21, and 18 in ‘23, including a gap between the regular season and playoffs.
“It’s something that I’ve dealt with my whole career,” Fried said. “If you speed it up, there’s a chance that it comes back quicker. But if you handle it right, normally, you can just go on without many issues.”
