Third baseman Ryan McMahon and pitcher Max Fried have been placed on the injured list, the New York Yankees announced. McMahon is dealing with a Grade 2 sprain of his left thumb, an injury sustained during a slide in Baltimore on Wednesday. Fried is experiencing elbow soreness described as an "bone bruise."
Both players expressed optimism that their injuries will not be long-term and that they will be healthy for the team's potential postseason run. McMahon hoped to avoid the injured list but acknowledged the severity of the sprain. He said surgery is not likely and could wait until the offseason if needed.
"Not great news. Could have been worse," McMahon said regarding his thumb injury. He acknowledged that missing the upcoming series against rivals Toronto and Boston is particularly disappointing due to the timing. "It sucks," he added. "I mean, we got Toronto coming in here. We got Boston [next weekend]. These are the fun games, man."
McMahon has been taking ground balls and swinging, but noted that swinging a bat was becoming difficult. He anticipates the minimum 10-day stint on the injured list to allow swelling to subside. During his absence, the Yankees will utilize a rotation of Amed Rosario, Max Schuemann, and José Caballero at third base.
Fried, who was placed on the injured list on Monday, addressed reporters for the first time since the injury. He described the soreness in his elbow as a recurrence of a previous issue, which he first felt after his Aug. 13 start against the Mariners. Fried believes his mechanics have contributed to the aggravation, stating he has struggled with consistency in his release point.
"We just decided that it was better to just take a little bit of a breather now," Fried said. "so that the rest of the season hopefully goes accordingly." Manager Aaron Boone indicated that Fried could miss the minimum 15 days. The left-handed pitcher has continued throwing and is scheduled to pitch off a mound on Saturday. If that session goes well, Fried could throw live batting practice early next week and potentially return by the end of August.
Fried stated that surgery is not a current concern, and he anticipates using the offseason to fully recover. He is confident that with rest, his elbow should not be a problem. "Once the offseason hits and I have the ability to rest and not throw and get that area to heal, it shouldn’t be a problem," Fried said. "But that’s kind of the thing: You don’t want it to get too bad to where it turns into a fracture."
The Yankees are hopeful that both McMahon and Fried, along with other injured key players like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Cody Bellinger, will be healthy for the postseason. Fried, with a 2.81 ERA in 15 starts this season, is considered a key part of the Yankees' rotation alongside Gerrit Cole.