TORONTO — Max Fried still has a ways to go before he is pitching for the Yankees again, but he will take another important step in his comeback on Saturday.
The left-hander is set to throw a light bullpen session after another round of imaging on his left elbow bone bruise showed enough healing to clear him for the next step in his ramp-up, manager Aaron Boone said Friday.
“I think it’s just a touch and feel [bullpen on Saturday] and then hopefully progress on the mound and see where that leads,” Boone said before an 8-5 loss to the Blue Jays.
Fried, who last pitched on May 13, has been asymptomatic since he started playing catch late last month. He had gotten out to throwing from 120 feet before going for more tests to get the green light to take the next step.
“Doesn’t mean he’s been cleared to get into that next point of a game — I think there’s still got to be some improvement [in his MRI exam],” Boone said. “But he’s doing well.”
In a best-case scenario, Fried is still likely more than a month away from returning, needing to get through multiple bullpen sessions and live batting practices before a rehab assignment might come into play.
But if the Yankees can get him through those steps healthy, they will gladly welcome him back to strengthen what is already a potent rotation.
J.C. Escarra led off the fifth inning with a double, marking the first hit by a Yankees catcher since May 30. In between, Escarra, Austin Wells and Ali Sánchez had combined to go 0-for-26.
Wells (cervical headaches) is hitting, throwing and going through treatment, feeling “great” as he works toward a return, according to Boone.
The catcher is first eligible to return from the IL on Tuesday, though Boone said the Yankees would decide after this weekend if they want him to play in any rehab games first.
