MAX FRIED, SP NYY (bruised elbow)
The Yankees brought Max Fried up with the leash still on. They knew he hadn’t built up all the way during his rehab, but they also knew he threw very well for about 60 pitches and that throwing those pitches in The Bronx was more valuable than throwing them in Scranton. It wasn’t a decision made in desperation either, despite the double header. Aaron Boone had signaled it might go this way last week, and here we are.
I’ve been saying for a while that minor league rehab assignments need to be adjusted. Not dumped altogether, because they do occupy a valuable space for semi-controlled game action and for getting a pitcher to 100 percent effort that’s tougher even in sim games. But the idea that a pitcher can’t be valuable when limited only proves that the team is limiting itself, lacking creativity, and is playing in a risk averse manner.
Fried rewarded that thinking. Fifty-seven pitches, five scoreless innings, seven strikeouts, and perhaps most importantly, no indication that the elbow was dictating anything. That’s exactly what a return should look like. Now the progression becomes almost boring, which is what you want. Add 15 to 20 pitches next time. See whether the recovery matches the outing. Watch for normal between-start strength, range of motion, and the absence of lingering soreness. If those boxes keep getting checked, he’ll naturally work his way back into a full starter’s workload over the next two or three turns.
The language surrounding Fried’s return was interesting because it echoed almost concept-for-concept what the Brewers have said about Jacob Misiorowski. Both clubs are talking less about innings and more about recovery. They’re looking at how the pitcher responds 24 and 48 hours later, whether the body returns to baseline, and whether the performance markers remain stable rather than simply asking if he can gut out another inning. That’s a much more sophisticated way to manage workload than treating a hundred pitches as some magical finish line.
It also says something about where the Yankees are headed organizationally. They seem to be recognizing that the most valuable pitches aren’t necessarily the last 25 in a rehab start at Triple-A. They’re the first 60 that help you win a game in the majors while still leaving enough in the tank for the next one. That’s efficiency and more clubs are finally starting to realize there’s a difference.
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