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Scouting Report
Updated May 19, 2026
Max Fried, the Yankees' Opening Day starter and rotation ace, left Wednesday's start against Baltimore after three innings with left elbow posterior soreness. He threw only 61 pitches before exiting. MRI imaging was performed Thursday by team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad. While Tommy John surgery is not required, Fried is expected to miss 2-3 weeks. The injury occurred amid a concerning trend of control issues, with Fried's walk rate climbing to 7.9% this season and recent struggles allowing multiple earned runs in back-to-back losses. Fried leads MLB with 61.2 innings pitched as of the injury date.
Strengths
- + No Tommy John surgery required
- + Posterior elbow soreness is less severe than medial elbow distress
- + Optimistic postgame comments from Fried
- + Expected 2-3 week recovery timeline is relatively short
- + Perennial All-Star and Cy Young candidate with strong track record
Weaknesses
- - Left elbow posterior soreness requiring MRI and IL placement
- - Abrupt exit after only 3 innings and 61 pitches indicates acute concern
- - Elevated walk rate (7.9%) compared to prior season (6.4%)
- - Recent control struggles in back-to-back losses to Orioles and Brewers
- - Highest workload in MLB (61.2 innings) may have contributed to injury
- - Previous history of left finger blisters
- - Age 32 with 8-year, $218 million contract
Injury Status: IL-15
About
Max Stassi is a catcher for the Chicago Cubs.
Player Overview
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Chicago Cubs