The Yankees may have dodged a critical bullet when it comes to the prognosis of Max Fried.
Aaron Boone told reporters on Tuesday that the star lefty has "low level inflammation" in his pitching elbow (via Chris Kirschner of The Athletic), and Fried will continuing throwing with optimism that he will be able to return this season.
Boone added that there is a chance Fried returns one his stint on the 15-day IL is expired, depending on how the inflammation has subsided.
While things can change in the coming weeks depending on how Fried's healing progresses, Boone's comments should be at least somewhat of a sigh of relief for Yankee fans, who feared the worst after the team surprisingly announced that Fried was being placed on the IL with a bone bruise in his elbow, the same injury that sidelined him for nearly two months earlier this season. If the same recovery timeline was necessary this time around, it almost certainly would have ended Fried's season. This time, the initial prognosis appears more favorable.
In some more potential good news for the Yankees, Boone added that Aaron Judge has progressed to his "hitting progression" this week (via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch), the latest checkpoint in the two-time reigning AL MVP's return from a stress fracture in his rib, which has kept him on the IL since late May. With Cody Bellinger set to begin a rehab assignment and Giancarlo Stanton progressing through his running program, the Yankees could be at full strength before October if all goes well, and that includes Fried.
Fried's recovery timeline may not be as long as fans initially thought.
Fried's recovery timeline may not be as long as fans initially thought.
