Yankees All-Star Max Fried forced from start by index finger blister, which caused 4 past IL stints

NEW YORK — Max Fried threw a cutter that Jon Berti foul tipped, got the ball back from catcher Austin Wells, looked at his left hand and tilted his head with a pained look as he stared into the outfield.

Another blister on his left index finger.

''It was literally just one pitch and I felt it,'' Fried said Saturday after the Yankees' 5-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs, which ended New York's five-game winning streak. ''Basically there was no blister and then after the pitch there was a blister.''

A three-time All-Star, the 31-year-old lefty made four trips to the injured list because of blisters on that finger during his time with the Atlanta Braves, going 23 days between starts in 2018, 12 days each in 2019 and '21, and 18 in 2023, which included a gap between the regular season and playoffs.

Fried threw one pitch with the blister, getting Berti to ground into an inning-ending forceout.

''Every case is it's own thing,'' he said. ''Definitely didn't want to do too much where I wanted to catch it, hopefully before it became a real big, big deal. It definitely was uncomfortable enough to the point where I didn't want to risk more and it was going to affect my pitches. So, yeah, just the next couple of days are going to be big in just being able to evaluate on how long I need.''

After signing a $218 million, eight-year contract as a free agent, Fried is 11-3 with a 2.43 ERA and become the Yankees ace after Gerrit Cole needed Tommy John surgery.

''He's been the one that whenever we're in trouble or we need a big outing or something he's been a guy that's always stepped up for us all season long,'' said Aaron Judge, who hit a two-run homer in the ninth to become the fastest player to 350 homers. ''You get a little concerned when a guy like that comes out, but I don't think it's anything crazy and he'll be ready to go for second half.''

Because of the All-Star break that starts Monday, Fried will miss fewer games than otherwise. Already an inactive All-Star because of his weekend start, Fried still plans to go to the festivities in Atlanta, where he played from 2017 through last year.

''He's dealt with it a little bit even this year and been treated pretty well, so we'll just see how the next days unfold,'' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

Treatment has only a limited impact.

''There's different creams and modalities and things that we can do to try to help speed up the process but at the end of the day, it's just letting the skin heal,'' Fried said.

He's heard the stories about how future Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan soaked his fingers in pickle juice at the behest of Mets athletic trainer Gus Mauch.

''I've tried a little of bit everything,'' Fried said, "every wives' tale, every piece of equipment that has been available. I'm willing to try anything to try to just speed it up and try to keep it away.''

Fried has pitched 122 innings and is on track to surpass his career high of 185 1/3 in 2022. He went 9-2 with a 1.89 ERA in 15 starts through June 15, giving up more than two earned runs just once, but has had a 4.33 in his last four outings.

Facing Matt Boyd in a matchup of All-Star lefties, Fried gave up four runs — three earned — six hits and three walks over a season-low three innings. Nine of 18 batters reached base as Fried threw just 39 of 73 pitches for strikes and fell behind with first-pitch balls to nine batters.

Nico Hoerner tripled leading off the game and scored on Kyle Tucker's groundout. Carson Kelly and Ian Happ hit run-scoring singles in the third around Dansby Swanson's RBI grounder.

''I was bad, like I just wasn't good," Fried said, ''not being able to execute pitches and get outs when I needed them.''

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