Max Fried became one of the highest-paid left-handed pitchers in MLB history, and his early outings with the New York Yankees instantly proved his worth.
Fried was to become the “second-in-command” behind Gerrit Cole before the start of the 2025 season. After Cole went down for the season for Tommy John surgery, Fried took up the mantle as the Yankees’ new ace. He was a dominant starter and looked to be a Cy Young contender.
A blister injury, however, has caused a detrimental drop in performance for Fried in the second half of the season. Whether or not another trip to the injury list or a minor league rehab would work, he must lower his ERA if the Yankees want a shot in the postseason.
Yankees fans were optimistic about Fried becoming the Yankees’ new ace after losing Cole for the season. He looked nearly unhittable, posting a 2.43 ERA by the time the All-Star Break rolled around.
Fried had a record of 11-3 with 113 strikeouts and 33 earned runs. Having him on the Yankees was an absolute gem, and his starts almost always guaranteed a win for the Bronx. The pivot from Cole to Fried was a delight for Yankees fans, and the future had begun to look bright for the next eight years of him in pinstripes.
During his tenure as a mainstay for the Atlanta Braves, Fried was placed on the Injured List a handful of times due to blisters. His first blister began in 2018 and would affect his throwing hand. The blister took a toll on him and affected his next start after returning from the IL. He was rocked in a matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers in July, which resulted in him being placed in the IL.
Fried was struck with blisters again in 2019 and placed on the IL for a short time. Fortunately, the blisters did not have a severe impact on his 2019 season, posting a 4.02 ERA in over 160 innings pitched with a 17-6 record.
Fried would deal with non-blister-related injuries in 2020 and early 2021, but they returned in June of 2021, impacting his performance in the summer.
Fried was reactivated on June 30th and gave up two earned runs in his return. Unfortunately, his July starts were not looking good at all. He posted a 10.80 ERA against the Pittsburgh Pirates, a 5.40 ERA against the Miami Marlins, and a 7.20 ERA against the Philadelphia Phillies. It was clear the blisters had affected him, but he got back into regular form in August, where he had no less than an ERA of 4.50 from August through September.
A blister injury has come and haunted Fried once again. He was placed on the IL and now is struggling to post below an ERA of 7 since his return. In his four recent starts, he has an ERA of 7.00 with 21 earned runs and four home runs allowed in 27 innings.
In his recent outings, Fried’s only great start has been against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 29th, where he posted an ERA of 2.70 in 6.2 innings pitched with nine strikeouts. That game was the only outlier in his recent starts, with him posting no lower than a 6.75 ERA since the All-Star Break.
While the Yankees have gone back up in the standings, fans are still worried for Fried. The offense has been clicking for the Bronx Bombers, and the relief pitching has started to get it together. The Yankees must address their ace’s issues now rather than letting them escalate in the postseason.
The Yankees’ health staff has recently been questionable, especially with cases like Anthony Rizzo, and seeing Fried struggle has been frustrating to watch. While he may claim the blisters have not affected him too much, the numbers say otherwise.
If Fried can get another IL stint or a short trip to the minor league to get his stuff fixed, it needs to happen soon rather than later.
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