The Yankees on Monday placed left-hander Max Fried on the 15-day injured list with a left elbow bone bruise. The move is retroactive to Friday.
The news came shortly after the announcement that fellow veteran lefty Carlos Rodón, on the injured list since July 3 with left elbow inflammation, would be making his return to the rotation on Tuesday against the Orioles. Fried had been scheduled to start the following day.
Fried previously missed a little more than two months of the season with the same issue, sustained as a result of hyperextension of the elbow rather than a contact injury.
The 32-year-old Fried had made five starts since coming off the IL on July 22 and had allowed just five runs in 24 2/3 innings (a 1.82 ERA). In his last start on Thursday against the Mariners, he battled through five innings, allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out four in a 1-0 loss.
Fried's injury will kick at least one can farther down the road. The Yankees were otherwise facing the immediate decision either to send one of six healthy starters (Fried, Rodón, Gerrit Cole, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Ryan Weathers) to the bullpen or roll with a six-man rotation through the stretch run.
Despite injuries preventing the club from ever having all three of its high-priced free-agent aces (Cole, Fried and Rodón) simultaneously in the rotation, New York's starters did have the lowest ERA in the Majors (3.38) at the start of play on Monday.
Fried is 4-4 with a 2.81 ERA in 15 starts covering 86 1/3 innings this season.