Yanks' Max Fried not quite ready to start; Cam Schlittler hurting, too

ATLANTA — The blister on Max Fried’s left index finger healed well enough during the All-Star break for him to avoid — for now — a stint on the injured list.

But it did not heal enough to allow him to start the second half of the season on time. The lefthander said he’s “hopeful” that he can start in one of the Yankees’ three games early next week against the Blue Jays in Toronto.

And because rookie righthander Cam Schlittler, who threw well in his MLB debut on July 9 against the Mariners, was not able to pitch Friday night against Atlanta with what Aaron Boone called “upper arm soreness,” the Yankees went the opener route at Truist Park, with righty reliever Ian Hamilton on the mound.

Hamilton allowed three runs, three hits and a walk in a 26-pitch first inning. Former Met Rico Garcia, making his Yankees debut, allowed a three-run homer by Ozzie Albies in the third as Atlanta took a 6-0 lead.

Will Warren is scheduled to start Saturday night’s game and will be followed by Marcus Stroman on Sunday afternoon.

Boone said Schlittler — who allowed three runs and four hits in 5 1⁄3 innings and earned the win in the Yankees’ 9-6 victory over Seattle — underwent an MRI, which came back negative.

“We think he’s fine,” Boone said. “He should be good to go, but it forced us to push him back. Hoping to slot him back in the Toronto series.”

The same goes for Fried, who before Friday night’s game said he was “progressing well” with the blister, an ailment that has required an IL stint four times in his career.

“We’re definitely optimistic,” said Fried, who is 11-3 with a 2.43 ERA in 20 starts. “Still have some boxes to check, but all has been progressing really well.”

Boone said he believes it is “very realistic” that Fried will be able to start one of the three games in Toronto. It won’t be Monday, however, as Carlos Rodon, who replaced Fried on the American League’s All-Star roster, is slated to start that night. If all goes well on the recovery front, that would leave Fried and Schlittler, in some order, pitching on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Fried, who last landed on the IL with a blister in 2023 while with Atlanta, said he has been able to play catch all week. But he has not yet been able to turn it loose in the bullpen, which presumably is the final box needing to be checked before he takes his next rotation turn.

“It’s different playing catch than pitching,” Fried said. “But so far so good [with the throwing]. Been really happy with the progress.”

Speaking last Saturday after his outing against the Cubs, when the blister appeared on his second-to-last pitch to the final batter he faced, Fried said he has “tried a little bit of everything” over the years when it comes to handling blisters, including pickle brine and/or other home remedies.

“Every [old] wives’ tale, every piece of equipment that has been available,” he said then with a smile.

Fried said on Friday that he always has to be careful not to rush things when it comes to the healing process.

“Mostly, it’s trying to make sure that the skin heals first and foremost of just trying to get it back to looking like a normal finger,” he said. “And on top of that, trying to make sure the skin is a little bit calloused, a little bit tougher rather than being soft. Especially with it being hot and my skin getting a little softer, it’s more susceptible to ripping. So just trying to stay on top of that and keeping the skin hard and calloused.”

Fried, who led the majors in starts in the first half, never wants to miss time, but the timing of this injury was particularly difficult. First, he missed the chance to pitch in this year’s All-Star Game in Atlanta after calling that city home for the first eight seasons of his career. Compounding that, he wasn’t able to start against his former team.

“Definitely frustrating,” Fried said. “But we’ve got the rest of the season to worry about, and I want to make sure I’m ready to go and that this doesn’t keep lingering.”

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.