Yankees insist Max Fried’s latest elbow bone bruise not as bad as his first one

BALTIMORE — The Yankees’ rotation took another hit on Monday, as the club placed co-ace Max Fried on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Aug. 14, with a bone bruise in his left elbow. It’s the second time this season such an injury has forced Fried to the shelf. The last time, he went on the IL on May 16 and didn’t return until July 22. “It’s not like that this time,” Aaron Boone said Tuesday when reminded that the Yankees lost Fried for two months the last time he had a bone bruise in his elbow. The manager, speaking before the Yankees’ series-opener against the Orioles, said it’s “possible” that Fried spends the minimum amount of time on the IL this go-around, which would make him eligible to return before August ends. Fried, only five starts removed from the end of his first IL stint, complained about his elbow being sore after completing his last outing against the Mariners on Thursday. Still, the Yankees expected him to pitch on Wednesday as he went through his between-start routine on Saturday and Sunday. Ultimately, however, the club opted for an IL stint. “We just kind of collectively decided it’s probably best to make sure we get this calmed down and hopefully keep it a smaller issue,” Boone said before adding that he felt Fried was “close to being able to make his next start.” “We’re just trying to be a little bit cautious here and kind of manage this thing as we get down the stretch,” the skipper continued. He also mentioned that Fried deferred to the team on the best course of action. Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake shared a similar message, noting that Fried “couldn’t compete” and had to be pulled from a game, which happened to be in Baltimore on May 13, the first time he went on the IL. But while this bone bruise doesn’t seem to be as severe, there was still some worry that Fried wouldn’t have been himself had he pitched on Wednesday after he said that he had to “grind” and struggled to find his rhythm against Seattle. “There was definitely concern that you could compromise it more if we sent him out there,” Blake said, “and so we just felt like that wasn’t a risk we were willing to take right now.” Despite those concerns, Fried played catch on Tuesday in New York after an MRI revealed what Boone called “low level inflammation as a result of the bone bruise.” It’s not clear when he’ll get back on the mound, but the Yankees are hoping to keep his pitch count relatively up. Boone also said that Fried’s bruise “came back,” opposed to never fully healing. Following his first diagnosis, Fried said that pushing it with his elbow could lead the bone to break or fracture. “Then you would probably need surgery or something like that,” he said at the time. As of now, Boone said the Yankees don’t anticipate Fried requiring surgery down the road because he only has a bruise. Boone didn’t rule out Fried having to pitch through a bone bruise again this season, but Blake is hopeful that mechanical tweaks can help the southpaw avoid the problem in the future. However, the pitcher and the team began that work after Fried suffered his first bruise. Blake added that Fried’s pain is most noticeable when he fully extends his arm at full force. “It’s something we kind of have to be aware of and try and manage to stay ahead of,” Blake said. “He felt good throwing his side the other day, but there was just too much question about if he went out there, would it make it worse?” Fried’s return to the injured list comes just as Carlos Rodón came off of it. Another lefty, Rodón battled elbow inflammation before starting against the Orioles on Tuesday. With Rodón coming back, the Yankees were planning on a rotation surplus before Fried went down. Boone said that the Yankees were going “back and forth” on whether to activate Rodón, who only made two rehab starts and maxed out at 54 pitches, before Fried went on the IL. Blake, meanwhile, said over the weekend that the team was initially leaning toward Warren starting on Tuesday. Warren, who would have likely moved to the bullpen to piggyback Rodón’s outing, will now start on Wednesday.