Overview
- Max Fried made his first minor‑league rehab start on Friday, pitching three innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits including a solo homer, striking out three and throwing 52 pitches with 32 strikes.
- Pitch tracking showed his four‑seam fastball averaged about 94.5 mph and topped at 95.4 mph, a velocity near his pre‑injury levels.
- Manager Aaron Boone said Fried is scheduled to make at least one more rehab start around July 22 with a low‑50s pitch count and the club will decide activation after evaluating that next outing.
- Other key Yankees are still working back: Carlos Rodón threw a short bullpen, Clarke Schmidt is set to face live hitters and Giancarlo Stanton has resumed running, but none have firm return dates.
- Fried signed an eight‑year, $218 million contract and was a top rotation arm before his May elbow bone bruise, so the Yankees are prioritizing a careful ramp‑up to protect his elbow and preserve rotation depth for the second half.