After an excellent start to the season, New York Yankees ace Max Fried has begun to struggle, and Wednesday's outing only added to the recent concerns.

Max Fried left Wednesday's game with an injury

After allowing three runs on five hits in just three innings in Wednesday's loss to the Baltimore Orioles, Fried exited the game. Immediately following the last out of the third inning, Fried headed straight down the tunnel toward the clubhouse, signaling the end of his day.

According to Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network, Fried exited the game with left posterior elbow soreness. He is scheduled to visit with Dr. Christopher Ahmad on Thursday upon returning to New York.

Max Fried had been struggling before Wednesday

Through his first three starts this season, Fried posted a 1.35 ERA over 20 innings. Since then, he's allowed 19 runs in 41 2/3 innings, giving him a 4.15 ERA in that stretch.

Entering Wednesday, Fried's 58 2/3 innings pitched led all of MLB. It appears that the early-season workload may have caught up to Fried, and he will have to await imaging to see how bad the injury potentially is.

Pitching depth is now a concern

If Fried were to miss an extended period of time, the depth of New York's rotation would be tested. Even with the return of Gerrit Cole looming, there is injury history with nearly every starting pitcher currently in the rotation.

A serious injury diagnosis for Fried would likely put the Yankees in the market for a starting pitcher sooner, rather than later.