Aaron Boone's Max Fried spring training admission will catch fans' attention

How has Max Fried pitched this spring?

The New York Yankees have dealt with a lot of injuries in spring training. Their rotation has been savaged, with Luis Gil potentially out for month and Gerrit Cole out for the year. That puts a lot of pressure on new addition Max Fried, who signed a record contact with the Yankees. Manager Aaron Boone likes what he has seen from Fried so far this spring, per MLB.com's Alyson Footer.

“His stuff was good,” Boone told Footer. “I think all his pitches are doing what he wanted them to do, all the way to the last pitch of the day. The changeup with a punch was excellent.”

Despite the compliment, it does appear that the Yankees will tab Carlos Rodon as their opening-day starter. He is on track to hit March 27 with the perfect amount of rest between starts. Even though Fried got the bigger contract this winter, Rodon is the familiar face in his third year with the organization.

But Fried will be important to the Yankees' rotation all year long. Behind Cole, the rotation struggled at points last year. Without Gil as the stopper, if Rodon struggles, Fried will have to be great all season long. He has some of the best numbers among all pitchers in recent years and should succeed in his new role.

The Yankees have been trying to find their second ace behind Cole since he joined the team in 2020. While Rodon has struggled for much of his tenure in The Bronx, he is still expected to snag that role. With big question marks in Marcus Stroman, Carlos Carrasco, and Will Warren taking up the last two spots in the rotation, Fried and Rodon will be very important to the Bombers' success this season. Opening Day is March 27 against the Milwaukee Brewers.