Max Fried throws a live bullpen session at Yankee Stadium on July 5. Jim McIsaac / Getty ImagesJuly 21, 2026 Updated 8:06 pm EDTAfter nearly two years of anticipation, Gerrit Cole and Max Fried will finally take their turns in the same New York Yankees rotation.The Yankees announced that Fried will bypass his final rehab start and instead pitch the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The initial plan was for Fried, who has not pitched since May 13 with a bone bruise in his left elbow, to make one more start in the minors before rejoining the Yankees’ rotation in Chicago next week. Instead, Cole will pitch Wednesday afternoon’s game, with Fried starting the nightcap.
Gerrit Cole. Game 1.Max Fried. Game 2.See you at The Stadium tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/mwtdCaWhkK
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 21, 2026The Yankees envisioned Cole and Fried forming one of baseball’s most formidable one-two punches atop their rotation after signing the latter to an eight-year contract during the 2024 season. But Wednesday will mark the first time that they share a rotation.Cole lost the entirety of his 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. When Cole made his debut this season, Fried was already on the injured list. Now the Yankees will get a sneak peek of what these two pitchers will look like back-to-back in what could be a preview for October.Before Fried landed on the injured list in May, he pitched to a 3.21 ERA, with 19 walks and 50 strikeouts over 10 starts and 61 2/3 innings. Fried had not looked like his usual self dating back to the beginning of spring training, battling command issues before it boiled over in his May 13 start against the Baltimore Orioles.But after months of injuries to several cornerstone players, the Yankees will gladly welcome Fried back and finally see the front-end tandem they envisioned when they signed him nearly two years ago.
