The New York Yankees gave fans some surprising good news when they revealed that lefty Max Fried would get the start for Wednesday night's home game versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

Fried then dazzled as he recorded seven strikeouts and allowed just one hit with one walk across five innings of work (57 pitches). Following New York's 2-0 win, manager Aaron Boone sent somewhat of a message to the rest of MLB regarding what having the one-two punch of Fried and fellow ace Gerrit Cole in the rotation could mean for the Yankees moving forward. 

Yankees have "high hopes" with Max Fried healthy and back

"We have high hopes this year," Boone said, per Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post. "And those are two of the big reasons why." 

Fried hadn't pitched since May 13 due to an elbow bone bruise. Meanwhile, Phillip Martinez of SNY noted that the Yankees having Fried and Cole in the rotation at the same time had been "18 months in the making," as Cole missed the entire 2025 season after needing elbow surgery.

Add in a motivated and sometimes angry Cam Schlittler to the mix, and the Yankees now feature a trio of starters that could frustrate batters throughout October. 

Why Max Fried made decision to return

It was previously thought that Fried would complete at least one more rehab start before rejoining the big-league club. However, he felt he was ready to start contributing at the highest level on Wednesday.

"This is my favorite thing to do," Fried explained. "Being out for the last couple of months, that was really tough. Coming out, giving us a chance to win, and getting back out there and feeling the energy, it felt normal, and I'm happy about that."

The Yankees aren't a complete team without injured captain Aaron Judge, who reportedly "is at least a month away from coming off the injured list" as he recovers from the stress fracture of the first rib on his right side that has kept him sidelined since the end of May. While the Bronx Bombers are expected to be buyers ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline, the team's playoff rotation may now be set. 

57-45 New York entered Thursday trailing only the 59-42 Tampa Bay Rays in the battle for first place in the American League East standings. The Yankees will next open a three-game series at the Philadelphia Phillies (56-47) on Friday evening.