Max Fried Exits All-Star Game, Prepares for Return to Atlanta
Max Fried is set for a start in Atlanta next week, but it won’t be during the All-Star Game.
The left-handed pitcher for the Yankees was pulled from the All-Star lineup on Friday, with teammate Carlos Rodon taking his place.
Manager Aaron Boone remarked, “It’s just a minor detail,” following the Yankees’ impressive 11-0 victory against the Cubs that night. “He’s clearly pitching [Saturday], which gives him a bit of a quick turnaround. We’ve talked about it a lot recently.”
Even though Fried won’t be playing in the All-Star game, he’ll still be present at the festivities in Atlanta, where he spent the first eight years of his MLB career before joining the Yankees.
He’s likely to start one of the games against the Braves next weekend at Trust Park, reuniting with his former teammates.
According to Boone, Fried’s choice to sit out the All-Star Game isn’t mainly about concerns regarding his workload. As of Saturday, he’ll have pitched 119 innings this season, nearing his career-high of 185⅓ innings.
“I hope he surpasses 185 this year before we even get to the playoffs,” Boone said. “But we definitely want to ensure that both Max and all our pitchers focus on recovery throughout the season.”
Boone jokingly referred to Andre Munoz, noting that the Yankees noticed him slipping during a nine-inning game on Thursday night. “What about Munoz?” he quipped.
The Mariners had noticed the Yankees’ tells, and that led to the two runs that pushed the game into extras as the base runners moved while Munoz attempted to throw a slider.
“I have no idea about that,” Boone said with a laugh.
The day after Oswald Peraza made a bunting attempt in 10 innings, he joined Anthony Volpe, Jorvit Bibas, Trent Grisham, and Cody Bellinger for some bunting practice.
Austin Wells had a scheduled day off on Friday after experiencing paralysis in his left wrist for several minutes the previous day. He’s expected to catch Fried in the Saturday afternoon game.
Boone shared that he thought Marcus Stroman’s quad was fine on Friday but hadn’t received any updates after he tweaked it during his start on Thursday.
In other news, Elmer Rodriguez Cruz, a pitching prospect for the Yankees acquired from the Red Sox, has been promoted to Double A Somerset on Friday. The 21-year-old right-hander boasts 99 strikeouts in 83⅔ innings and a 2.26 ERA over 15 games at High A Hudson Valley.
Meanwhile, RHP Geoff Hartlieb was selected for free agency on Friday instead of accepting a full assignment to Triple A after being designated for assignment earlier this week.
