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Max Fried to Start on Opening Day for Yankees
The New York Yankees announced on Wednesday that left-hander Max Fried will take the hill for Opening Day next Wednesday on the road against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Fried is the easy choice for the Yankees to kick off the 2026 season with both Gerrit Cole (elbow) and Carlos Rodon (elbow) rehabbing elbow injuries. The 32-year-old veteran southpaw was excellent in his first year in the Bronx in 2025, earning his third career All-Star selection while leading the league in wins (19). Fried also had a 2.86 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 189:51 K:BB in 195 1/3 innings over his 32 starts during the regular season. The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder is the ace of the Yankees' staff and should be treated as a low-end No. 1 fantasy starting pitcher going into his second season in pinstripes. It was only Fried's third time in nine MLB seasons that he reached 30 starts, and he has still never gone over 200 innings or 200 strikeouts. Fantasy managers should be starting him with confidence next week.
Source: New York Yankees
Source: New York Yankees
