When it rains, it pours for the New York Yankees. And just when the rain stops, it comes crashing down once again. Amid the joy for watching Carlos Rodon gear up for his first MLB game since late June, the Pinstripers announced Max Fried will now miss time.
“Today, the Yankees placed LHP Max Fried on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to 8/14) with a left elbow bone bruise,” the team announced on its social media.
In true, yet extremely cruel, “an eye for an eye” fashion, the Yankees lose a left-handed starting pitcher as they activate another in Rodon. Fans knew the Bronx Bombers would have to make a roster move to accommodate Rodon, but not many expected to lose Fried in the process.
The 2026 MLB season has been truly testing, and it wasted no time proving Aaron Boone’s “incomplete” description of the Yankees true once again.
Starting pitcher Carlos Rodon #55 of the New York Yankees.
Fried and Rodon’s numbers in 2026
Through 15 games in the 2026 MLB season, Fried has posted a 2.81 ERA and a 2.8 WAR. Moreover, he has 86.1 innings pitched, 79 strikeouts, and a 0.996 WHIP. Fried had helped New York establish arguably the most dominant starting rotation in the American League.
As for Rodon, as he gears up to start against the Baltimore Orioles, he hopes to pick up right where he left off and turn it up a notch during the 2026 MLB campaign. Rodon has pitched 46.1 innings, striking out 52 opponents and posting a 1.252 WHIP. Moreover, his ERA on the season is 3.30, with a 0.7 WAR.
NY Yankees’ starting rotation
With Rodon coming off rehab and Fried headed to the injured list, the Yankees have witnessed their rotation shake up in the blink of an eye. Cy Young Award favorite Cam Schlittler and Gerrit Cole will still command the top of the depth chart.
However, they are both right-handed, and with Fried out for at least a couple of weeks, that leaves Ryan Weathers and Carlos Rodon in prime position to run away with the main LHP job. With Clarke Schmidt out as well, the last starting option is RHP Will Warren.
Needless to say, the Yankees have been through enough adversity all year long. There might be more where that came from, so the Bronx Bombers must buckle up for a bumpy ride. In more ways than one, this is their Odyssey.
