July showers brought a surprise gift for the Yankees.
Max Fried will come off the injured list Wednesday to start the second game of a doubleheader against the Pirates at Yankee Stadium, getting activated earlier than expected as the club changed plans after Tuesday’s washout.
The lefty will be on a pitch count around 60, but instead of throwing them for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes- Barre on Wednesday, which was originally the plan, the Yankees changed course and announced Fried as their Game 2 starter after Gerrit Cole starts the opener.
Fried was initially expected to return next week in Chicago, but the rainout meant the Yankees would have to throw a bullpen game or bring up a spot starter at some point before he returned.
So instead, they ditched the final rehab start and made Wednesday a significant day for the franchise — the first time Fried and Cole will be in the rotation at the same time, never mind the same day.
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Fried, coming back from a left elbow bone bruise, last pitched for the Yankees on May 13, at which point he had a 3.21 ERA in 10 starts.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
