New York Yankees left-hander Max Fried exited Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the visiting Chicago Cubs with a blister on his left thumb after laboring through three innings.
Fried allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks before exiting. During Chicago’s three-run third, YES Network cameras spotted Fried looking at a blister on his left thumb and the Yankees announced it as the reason for his exit an inning later.
“I was bad. I just wasn’t good,” Fried told reporters afterward. “Not being able to execute pitches and get outs when I needed them and it was just unfortunate timing. I was grinding and it popped up at the end.”
Fried took the loss and has an 11-3 record and a 2.43 ERA in 20 starts but has now allowed at least three runs in four of his past five outings.
Fried was named to the American League All-Star team but replaced by teammate Carlos Rodon on Friday.
The Cubs scored three in the third off Fried, whose velocity on most of his pitches was down from his season average.
This isn’t the first time the 31-year-old Fried has experienced blister issues. Fried was on the injured list with blisters in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023 with the Atlanta Braves
“He’s dealt with them before,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “This one’s different. It popped up at the end there.”
“He’s dealt with a little bit this year and been treated pretty well. So we’ll see how the next few days unfold.”
Fried said it was too soon to tell how long this blister might linger.
“The good thing is we have the (All-Star) break and being able to try and do as much as we can,” Fried said. “As far as timelines I don’t know exactly how this one’s going to shake out. A lot of times you just have to see how it starts healing over the next couple of days.”
Fried is in his first season with the Yankees after signing an eight-year, $218 million deal as a free agent in the offseason.
The Yankees are without right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole after he underwent Tommy John surgery in March. Right-hander Clarke Schmidt underwent the same surgery Friday after exiting a July 3 start in Toronto with forearm tightness, and right-hander Luis Gil is inching closer to fully recovering from a strained lat he sustained in spring training.
–Field Level Media
