Max Fried Injury Could Be a Blessing in Disguise for Ryan Weathers

Add Max Fried to the list of injuries the New York Yankees are compiling, but this should open the door for Ryan Weathers to have more of a shot at proving himself.

New York Yankees pitcher Ryan Weathers (40) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the third inning at T-Mobile Park. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The fact that Ryan Weathers may have been expelled from the New York Yankees starting rotation is a testament to how much depth they thought they had heading into the season. A 3.00 ERA in 45 innings with a 1.0 WAR, according to FanGraphs, is the type of production any team in baseball would want from a 26-year-old starter with multiple years of control.

It did seem like he would be the one to go once Gerrit Cole returns from the shelf, but baseball has a way of figuring itself out. With Max Fried likely headed to the IL with what looks like an elbow injury, the door is open for Weathers, who has been pitching like a frontline starter after they acquired him from the Marlins.

New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried (54) delivers during the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Weathers' start against the Baltimore Orioles encapsulates everything about what the Yankees seemed to have unlocked in the flamethrower. He pitched 6.1 innings and took a no-hitter into the seventh. He struck out nine, walked three, and those two earned runs came when he was already out of the game. Brent Headrick allowed the inherited runners to score after he gave up a three-run blast to Coby Mayo.

This young, oft-injured pitcher, who posted a 4.93 ERA with the Marlins and Padres, is not just giving length in games with an exorbitant strikeout rate. His control has been impeccable as well.

Weathers' three walks in Baltimore were a rarity considering what he has done all year so far. The last time he walked three in a start was his second of the season against his old team. For the rest of his outings, he has allowed no more than two free passes.

The rotation post-Fried

The only positive of Fried's injury is that it will give Weathers a chance to flourish at the big league level, rather than potentially optioning him to reach a certain innings mark. Very soon, he should be in the middle of a rotation that will feature Cole and Carlos Rodón at the top of it. He will be a part of a trio of youngsters, along with Cam Schlittler and Will Warren, who will anchor the rest of the staff in Fried's stead.

New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) walks off the field after being relieved during the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Yankees are third in baseball in ERA behind the Atlanta Braves and, unfortunately, their division rivals, the Tampa Bay Rays. There is no reason this run of excellent starting pitching should slow down any further unless there are more injuries.

Cole and Rodon might need some time to knock the rust off, but when that happens, at some point this summer, the Yankees' staff should be even more of an impenetrable wall, whether Fried comes back or not.

However, this isn't to diminish Fried. It would be a bummer if the elbow injury were worse than he imagined, and it would be yet another year where he and Cole can't be the No. 1 and No. 2 on the staff.