Max Fried: Career, Stats & 2026 Yankees Return

Max Fried: Career, Stats & 2026 Yankees Return

Max Fried, born January 18, 1994, in Santa Monica, California, was selected seventh overall by the San Diego Padres in the 2012 MLB Draft. Traded to the Atlanta Braves in 2014, the left-hander made his MLB debut in 2017 and quickly became a reliable starter for the club Source 2.

Ahead of the 2026 season, Fried signed with the New York Yankees and earned the Opening Day nod for the second consecutive year, pitching April 7 against the Cincinnati Reds Source 3. However, elbow discomfort forced him from a May 14 start versus the Baltimore Orioles, sidelining him for more than two months on the injured list Source 7.

Fried is expected to be activated during the Yankees’ late-July series in Chicago and will start Game 2 of the July 22 doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates, reuniting with ace Gerrit Cole Source 5.

Known for a sinker-slider combination that produces high ground-ball rates and low home-run totals, Fried was the winning pitcher in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series and has posted multiple 200-strikeout seasons Source 3.

Comprehensive career statistics—games started, innings pitched, ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, and WAR—are available on Baseball-Reference, ESPN, and MLB.com Source 1 Source 4.