Yankees Fried fantastic start to 2026 solidifies his place as the ace of the rotation

Going into the 2026 season, the New York Yankees were dead set on pitcher Gerrit Cole being their ace of the rotation. That was a given, even with the adequate arm of pitcher Max Fried. But, after his first two starts of the season, there is now some debate as to who should be the first string of the rotation. 

Fried was fantastic on opening night against the struggling San Francisco Giants, and then followed it up with a masterful showing against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night. In seven innings of work, he sat down six batters against one of the more powerful lineups in baseball. 

Let us also not forget that Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler one-upped Fried against the Giants, and has a chance to do it again on Wednesday against the Mariners. His contributitons this season are not a joke. 

After 13.1 innings, Fried has yet to allow an earned run, so his ERA remains at 0.00. The lefty has sat down 10 batters via strikes, and is at a rate of 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. 

So, this now leaves the question of what to do when Cole is cleared and ready to pitch? Does the rotation slide down a spot to let Cole back into the top spot, or does Fried remain the ace?

The easy answer, and really the only clear one, is to see how Cole does in his first start since the 2024 season. He looked great in spring training, and it's going to get closer this week, according to Yankees manager Aaron Boone. 

New York Daily News writer Gary Phillips reported that Boone said Cole would be getting a one-inning live-BP at some point this week. That is going to be the first sign of when No. 45 will be ready to re-take the mound.

Fried should be the go-to guy until Cole gets his monumental return, and then from there, it will be the case of who looks best. Cole can come back and pitch a perfect game, or he could struggle to re-adjust following Tommy John surgery. 

One thing is for sure: Fried is doing his part to give the Yankees one of their best rotations in recent memory. A Cy Young is not out of the question for the 32-year-old in 2026.

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