Gerrit Cole's Yankees Return Is Even More Important After Max Fried IL News

With the southpaw ace heading to the 15-day IL, the Yankees need the old Gerrit Cole more than ever.

Gerrit Cole could be facing even more pressure ahead of his Yankees return following the latest Max Fried injury update. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Yankees fans have been pacing in circles for the last few days, awaiting the latest update on left-handed ace Max Fried.

The three-time MLB All-Star starter exited Wednesday's 7-0 loss to the Orioles with an elbow-related injury. The Yankees announced that testing would happen the next day. But Thursday's off-day came and went without any updates, leaving fans to fear the worst—especially since Fried had initially said he wasn't too worried about the situation.

The New York faithful patiently awaited news on Friday, which finally hit social media in the afternoon. Just hours before the Subway Series opener, The Athletic's Chris Kirschner reported that the Yankees placed Fried on the 15-day injured list "with a left elbow bone bruise" and that "more testing will be done in a few weeks."

Yankees say Max Fried will go on the 15-day IL with a left elbow bone bruise. More testing will be done in a few weeks.

— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) May 15, 2026

Fried also shared his mixed feelings about the latest update, via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch:

I’m definitely bummed that I'm going to have to be missing some time, but overall happy that it doesn't look like it's gonna be anything serious - no surgery required or anything like that. So never want to go on the IL and miss games, but also understand that the long-term outlook still looks good.

Max Fried (h/t Bryan Hoch)

On one hand, it's great to see that Fried seemingly avoided a season-ending ailment. On the other hand, the Yankees will be without him for at least two weeks, if not more, depending on what the next test results reveal.

With Fried sitting on the IL for the foreseeable future, Gerrit Cole's return to the Yankees' rotation will be more important than ever.

• Update (May 15, 5:40 p.m. ET): Yankees manager Aaron Boone told Hoch that the team "

will not accelerate" Cole's return, adding that he "likely" has two rehab starts left—including this weekend's game.

Yankees need Gerrit Cole to hit the ground running after Max Fried lands on 15-day IL

The Yankees have been without Cole throughout the early part of the 2026 MLB season. The veteran flame-thrower has been on the mend ever since undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery. His rehab ramped up in April, leaving Yankees fans hopeful that he'll be ready to rejoin manager Aaron Boone's rotation in May or June.

Saturday's Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre game will be Cole's next rehab start, and if all goes well, no one would be surprised if it's his last. After all, the Times-Tribune's Scott Walsh reported on Friday that the two-time American League ERA leader "will throw around 80 pitches" this weekend after Boone said he'd only need "one or two more rehab starts before returning to the majors."

A strong rehab start this weekend could put Gerrit Cole back in the Yankees' starting rotation as early as next week. | Patrick Oehler/Poughkeepsie Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Heading into Saturday's rehab tilt, Cole has pitched to a 5.32 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A. Those numbers are far from his best, but there are still some positives, too. For instance, he issued only two walks in those outings, showing solid control, and even struck out a season-high eight batters, with two earned runs allowed in five innings during his last start on May 10.

Although Cole's ongoing rehab is encouraging, the Yankees need him to hit the ground running when he returns—especially with Fried missing an uncertain amount of time.

The last thing New York needs is for Cole to become another question mark in the rotation. The jury is still out on whether Carlos Rodón will eventually look like his old self, while it's unknown how long Ryan Weathers will remain a starter since he's already played almost half as many innings (45) as his career high (94 2/3). That's without mentioning any potential setbacks Fried could face.

Considering the above uncertainties, getting the Cole of old back would be huge. Yankees fans haven't seen the 35-year-old righty on the mound since his 2024 performance, where he went 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 95 innings across 17 starts. The year before that was when he won his first-ever AL Cy Young award, and while it'd be great to get that version back, the Yankees will just be happy if he can consistently win games and stay healthy.

If not, general manager Brian Cashman will have no choice but to turn to the trade market for potential solutions.

The baseball world has yet to see a healthy Cole and Fried together in the Yankees' starting rotation. That could change in a few weeks, assuming the latter heals without an issue. If Cole can turn back the clock before then, New York will be in a great place to resume its World Series pursuit once Fried returns.