Amidst some grim news regarding the Yankees‘ rotation as Luis Gil is dealing with shoulder tightness, Aaron Boone announced that Max Fried will make his Spring Training on Monday against the Pirates. The Yankees are now rolling out some of their rotation regulars, as Gerrit Cole is making his debut tonight against the Blue Jays and Carlos Rodon has pitched twice already.
Clarke Schmidt (back) and Luis Gil (shoulder) haven’t pitched due to injuries, although in the case of Schmidt, the Yankees are optimistic about how he’s progressing and could get him into a Spring Training game soon. The Yankees loved their initial Zoom meeting with Max Fried when the left-hander was a free agent, and once Juan Soto signed with the Mets, they pounced on the chance to sign him.
Max Fried Scheduled to Make Yankees’ Debut On Monday
The Yankees were pumped to sign Max Fried earlier this offseason despite losing Juan Soto, as they love the pitcher and person that he brings to the Bronx. After being arguably the best pitcher on the planet from 2020-2024, the Yankees inked Fried to a hefty eight-year deal worth $218 million, and they’re hoping that this is just the first of many exciting outings for the left-hander.
Since it’s Spring Training, there’s not much a team is going to learn from a veteran starter with an incredible track record of success in an outing, but he’s worked with Matt Blake on honing in some of his already-existing pitches. The Yankees showed tons of success last year with getting pitchers to improve their changeup and perhaps the same can occur for Fried, who has begun using his changeup more in recent years.
His sweeper was another pitch he tinkered with last season, as it took off in September and led to a devastating stretch to end the season. Ultimately, the Yankees are just hoping to keep Fried healthy, especially after the unfortunate news regarding Luis Gil’s shoulder.
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Luis Gil will undergo an MRI on his pitching shoulder after he felt tightness in his shoulder region, and the Yankees are going to be cautious with their young right-hander. His extensive injury history is an obvious area to point to for added concern, but the fact that Gil surpassed his previous career-high in innings pitched in 2024 is something worth noting as well.
Pitchers get hurt at a higher rate than before, and while that’s part of trying to improve velocity and effectiveness in-game, it’s also something that teams have to be prepared for. Marcus Stroman being moved may have opened the door to some more opportunities for the Yankees in free agency, but it would also leave them in a weird situation with their rotation given that they’ve already lost a starter and it’s not even February.
Signing Max Fried has also given them some more cushion, as without him the team would have one of the more shaky rotations in the league. The Yankees are hoping they can survive without Luis Gil for now, but they’re also holding out hope that his shoulder issue isn’t too serious.