KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Max Fried was feeling good enough to start playing catch Monday, the first time he has done so since being shut down with a left elbow bone bruise 10 days ago.
But Aaron Boone pumped the brakes on it being anything more than that, as recent imaging of the left-hander’s elbow evidently did not show enough healing to allow him to begin building back up yet.
“There’s nothing really that would say he can start the ramp-up process yet,” Boone said before the Yankees beat the Royals 4-3 in the series opener at Kauffman Stadium.
Essentially, Fried is able to keep his arm moving by playing some light catch but is not yet ready to throw with the kind of intensity that would test the injury he is dealing with.
“Don’t read too far into that,” Boone said. “He’s been doing plyos and stuff. He’s had a pretty good week overall as far as symptoms and feeling pretty good and responding to everything pretty well. But he’s not at a point to where we can start ramping him up yet.”
When Fried was originally diagnosed with the injury May 15, the Yankees said he would get more imaging “in a few weeks [or when asymptomatic] to further determine when Fried can resume throwing.”
Carlos Rodón is expected to start Friday’s series opener against the Athletics after he was pushed back a few days — after Saturday’s rainout — to allow Gerrit Cole to start on his regular fifth day Wednesday. The Yankees have an off-day Thursday and another Monday, so they wanted Cole to pitch on his fifth day this turn before going on his seventh the next time through. Rodón, who threw a bullpen session Monday, will be starting on his eighth day Friday before going on his sixth day the next time.
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Giancarlo Stanton is set to undergo another round of imaging on his right calf Tuesday to determine whether his strain has healed enough to start a running progression.
“I think he was actually going outside to do some of his agility stuff today,” Boone said. “Hopefully, with the next round of imaging, we’re in a position to start ramping up the running.”
Clarke Schmidt will move his rehab from Tommy John surgery up to New York next week after spending the first two months of the season doing so in Tampa. The right-hander, who could become a factor in the second half, has been throwing bullpen sessions but has not yet faced hitters.
