Of all the key Yankees currently on the injured list, Max Fried has a chance to be the first one back. 

The left-hander took a significant step in making that happen Friday night when he started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre — throwing 52 pitches across three innings while giving up two runs and no walks with three strikeouts — just over two months removed from landing on the IL with a left elbow bone bruise. 

If he recovers from Friday’s game without issue, Fried is expected to make at least one more rehab start Wednesday before the Yankees will discuss whether he is ready to rejoin the rotation, though he would not be fully built up at that point. 

“Obviously, tonight’s another important step for him,” manager Aaron Boone said before the Yankees fell to the Dodgers 2-1 to begin the season’s second half. 

Fried presumably would get to around 60 pitches in his next start, making it possible he could return to the big leagues after that on a pitch count around 70 and finish off his buildup from there. 

Max Fried, pitching her earlier in July, had a Triple-A rehab start on Friday. Robert Sabo for NY Post

In the meantime, the Yankees will need to fill his rotation spot Tuesday against the Pirates, though Boone said they had not yet decided whether they would do so by calling up a fifth starter (à la Elmer Rodríguez) or throwing a bullpen game, like they did against the Rays before the All-Star break. 

The Yankees have already used three of Rodríguez’s five minor league options this season, so they need to be deliberate in when they use the final two the rest of the season. 

“It could be similar to what we did in Tampa with having the extra reliever, but we got to see how these handful of games unfold and then we’ll make a call as to what we need that second game against the Pirates,” Boone said. 

Fellow lefty Carlos Rodón (left elbow inflammation) threw about 10 pitches off the bullpen mound Friday as he continued his throwing progression after being shut down for about a week. 

Clarke Schmidt is set to face hitters in a simulated inning Saturday for the first time in his rehab from Tommy John surgery. 

“Itching, man,” Schmidt said Friday. “It’s been a little bit over a year now, just hit the year mark [July 11], so really excited to start somewhat getting close to competing.” 

Giancarlo Stanton (right calf strain) has started his running progression outside, Boone said, but remains without a timetable for a return. 

Boone said the Yankees were monitoring the air quality in The Bronx on Friday, due to the smoke from the Canadian wildfires, but it was clear for most of the game before getting slightly hazy in the late innings.