NEW YORK -- Yankees left-hander Max Fried is scheduled to throw off a mound Saturday for the first time since landing on the injured list because of a recurrence of a bone bruise in his left elbow Tuesday.
If all goes well Saturday, Fried could throw a batting practice session early next week, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. Fried said he is optimistic that he will miss the minimum 15 days before returning to the Yankees' starting rotation.
"I've been feeling good," Fried said Friday before the Yankees' series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays. "Obviously, not ideal. Don't want to be coming out of a start with some soreness, but all in all, we're really encouraged."
Fried, 32, has a 2.81 ERA in just 15 starts this season after missing more than two months earlier this season when he first dealt with the bone bruise in his elbow. He said this setback is not nearly as severe as the initial injury, and he expects to return much sooner. The challenge will be ensuring it doesn't happen again. Fried said avoiding another setback will come down to cleaning up his mechanics and giving his arm a chance to properly follow through.
"Just better mechanics, not being out of timing," Fried said. "That's kind of what I've been doing. I've been fighting my mechanics a lot this year. And using this time to really focus on that, get better with the timing, and kind of isolate the problem is what I'm going to use this couple of weeks for."
Also Friday, the Yankees placed third baseman Ryan McMahon on their crowded injured list because of a Grade 2 left thumb sprain and expect to activate Cody Bellinger on Sunday.
McMahon injured the thumb while sliding into second base in Wednesday's win over the Baltimore Orioles. Boone said he watched McMahon take swings Friday, noting that "it was actually pretty good," but the club didn't want McMahon to create any poor habits while playing through the soreness.
A plus defender, McMahon is batting .216 with 10 home runs and a .649 OPS this season. The Yankees called up utilityman Max Schuemann from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take his spot on the roster.
"It sucks, especially with Toronto coming in here and then Boston after that," McMahon, 31, said. "These are the fun games. These are games, especially for a guy at my point in my career, these are the ones that fire you up."
Bellinger has been on the injured list since July 26 because of a Grade 2 left hamstring strain. The All-Star began a rehab assignment Thursday, going 1-for-3 as Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's designated hitter. He is slated to start at left field Friday before taking off Saturday and returning for the Yankees' series finale Sunday against the Blue Jays.
Barring an unexpected development, Bellinger's return will create a roster crunch that will likely result in either the Yankees optioning Schuemann -- and leaving them short an infielder for a stretch -- or optioning outfielder Spencer Jones to Triple-A. Jones, 25, is slashing .227 with six home runs and a .712 OPS after recording three hits, including a homer, in Thursday's win over the Orioles.
"Those things, you get ahead of yourselves a little bit sometimes, and something else crops up," Boone said. "We'll make a decision when that time comes. Hopefully, we're in a position to make that call sometime after the game Saturday."
