Crucial elements of Max Fried's injury history, pain could dictate his Yankees future

Max Fried has not been himself for several weeks now, with his already tenuous grip on command worsening since his back-to-back shutouts in Boston and Texas. Now, we finally know why; Fried departed Wednesday's start in Baltimore with elbow pain after 61 sloppy pitches, and while the Yankees may attempt to tell you this just cropped up in Fried's most recent start, that doesn't seem likely.

The left-hander will visit Dr. Christopher Ahmad for imaging on Thursday (nightmare fuel), and all we can do in the meantime is detective work. Fried's injury is reported to be "posterior soreness" in the left elbow. Is that a life-saver amid Tommy John fears, or something that portends doom? It's tough to say; sometimes, the finicky elbow feels pain in a different area than where the injury has actually occurred. Just because the pain isn't in Fried's forearm doesn't mean anyone's home free here.

There's certainly a chance that, when imaging occurs, they'll find something akin to Tarik Skubal's injury rather than something that merits a full reconstruction. The man himself described the issue as a "hyperextension" at the back of his elbow, and would like to make his next start. I recommend consulting the sign I'm tapping: Wait for the imaging.

No matter the outcome, your first instinct was probably correct. It's very unlikely that this doesn't take out Fried for a significant period of time, and while the Yankees have elite-level pitching depth and can withstand this, you'd certainly rather they didn't have to. Horrific pitching injuries are inevitable, but every so often a team skates through an entire magical season without having to deal with one. This is not that season. It never seems to be for the Yankees.

Will Gerrit Cole and Fried ever share a rotation? Really hope so.

Max Fried Tommy John surgery history further alters his potential Yankees path

Like me, I'm sure some people out there assumed (from the moment the Yankees first signed Fried) that he hadn't undergone Tommy John surgery and was a significant risk to do so as time marched on. That second part might still be true, but even though he avoided the procedure as a Brave, he actually started his minor-league career by going under the knife.

In fact, the Braves were able to trade for him partially because he'd undergone surgery in 2014 while in the San Diego Padres system. As anticipated at the time of the procedure, Fried missed the entire 2015 season, returning in the Sally League with Rome in 2016.

Fried is currently in Year 2 of an eight-year deal, and though we all know risk is baked into every long-term pitching contract, the Yankees were certainly hoping to mitigate that risk until the back end. Things may feel somewhat hopeless in this interstitial stage, but the Yankees do have more depth than most as they attempt to persevere. If Fried does need Tommy John, his second, that could be close to catastrophic; the recovery increases in difficulty the more times the procedure is done.