The New York Yankees closed out their series with the Houston Astros on Thursday night with one eye already on a bigger test waiting at home.
A four-game set against the Boston Red Sox begins Friday at Yankee Stadium, and the timing could hardly be more important. New York holds a 2.5-game lead over Boston in the American League standings.
Saturday’s schedule includes a doubleheader. One of those games is a makeup from an earlier postponement. The Yankees have named starters for most of the series, but Friday’s opener is assigned to Cam Schlittler.
The bigger question sits with Max Fried. Optimism has grown that the left-hander could come off the injured list in time to start one of Saturday’s games.
The Yankees placed Fried on the injured list Aug. 17 with a bone bruise in his left elbow. He was scheduled to throw a bullpen session Thursday. Those results were expected to decide whether he would be ready for the weekend.
YES Network reporter Meredith Marakovits provided the latest update.
“Speaking of question marks, the Yankees have still not named a starter for both games of the doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox come Saturday. It’s going to be Carlos Rodon in one of them, it could be Max Fried in the other one. He is definitely an option,” Marakovits said.
“He threw a side session out in the bullpen. They were going to see how he comes through that. If he comes through that, it seems like the plan would be to hand the ball to Max Fried.”
Fried has dealt with injuries for much of the 2026 season. When he has pitched, he has been one of the more effective starters in the American League.He is 4-4 with a 2.81 ERA in 15 starts. He has struck out 79 batters in 86.1 innings.
A return this weekend would give the Yankees something they have not had all year: their top four starters healthy at the same time. That group is Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, Fried and Carlos Rodon.
The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry needs little extra fuel. A doubleheader on Saturday plus two more games around it turns the weekend into a stretch that could reshape the division race.
Fried’s elbow issue has been a lingering concern rather than a sudden breakdown. Managers and trainers typically treat bone bruises with caution because the pain can linger even after the initial swelling fades.
If he comes through Thursday’s session without a setback, the club appears ready to give him the ball. That would allow the staff to line up Rodon and Fried for the two Saturday games and keep the rest of the rotation on a more regular schedule.
Schlittler drawing the Friday assignment shows how the Yankees have had to mix and match while waiting on Fried. Cole has been a constant when available, and Rodon has taken a regular turn.
The standings margin is thin enough that every start matters. Boston has stayed close despite New York’s overall edge, and a four-game homestand against a direct rival is the kind of series that can widen a lead or erase it.
Fried’s strikeout rate and low ERA suggest he can still miss bats and limit damage when he is on the mound. Those traits would be valuable against a Red Sox lineup that has shown it can score in bunches.
The Yankees have not confirmed the Saturday assignments yet. They are waiting to see how Fried responds after the bullpen work.
For a team that has spent much of the year piecing together its rotation, getting the left-hander back even for one game of a doubleheader would count as a significant boost heading into September.
