How Yankees' Gerrit Cole, Elmer Rodriguez are impacted by Max Fried's IL news

Feb 13, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) throws a bullpen session during spring training practices at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees got some tough news on Friday, as they got imaging back, and had to place Max Fried on the injured list as the lefty ace is now set to miss some time.

While Fried won't miss the rest of the regular season, the Yankees do need to pivot to a new pitcher in his place in the rotation while he's out.

Naturally, Gerrit Cole, who's still in the middle of his rehab assignment, comes to mind. However, Joel Sherman of The New York Post is reporting the Yankees have a slightly different plan.

Yankees' pitching plan after Max Fried injury impacts Gerrit Cole, Elmer Rodriguez

"With Fried now on the IL, the Yankees' initial plan is not to speed up Cole, who likely has 2 more rehab starts," Sherman reports. "More likely that Elmer Rodriguez will come up in the short term for a start or two."

Cole is in the middle of a rehab assignment coming off his elbow surgery, and through five outings in the minor leagues so far, he has a 5.32 ERA.

Activating him from the injured list to directly replace Fried would, in theory, make a ton of sense. But that's not what the Yankees are electing to do.

MORE: Aaron Judge makes baseball history never done before by Yankees player

Instead of Cole, the Yankees are reportedly opting to go with Elmer Rodriguez instead. He's already made his MLB debut, posting a 5.19 ERA across 8.2 innings pitched in two games this season.

Down in the minors this season, Rodriguez has a 1.38 ERA in five starts at Triple-A. He's one of the Yankees' top pitching prospects and is only 22 years old.

With the plan to not rush Cole, Rodriguez looks set to step into Fried's spot in the rotation for now. Carlos Lagrange would be a fun call-up, but for now, it looks as if Rodriguez will be the Fried replacement until Cole returns, hopefully after his next two rehab starts.

More MLB news:

• Three ways Pirates' Paul Skenes could lose NL Cy Young Award
• Reds' Elly De La Cruz makes baseball history not done in last 126 years
• 5 reasons to believe in Jordan Walker's breakout for Cardinals
• Pete Crow-Armstrong is still struggling to hit well for the Cubs
• Roman Anthony might’ve been overhyped for Red Sox