Yankees Name Opening Day Starter amid Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon Injury Timelines

The New York Yankees officially named Max Fried as the team's Opening Day starter against the San Francisco Giants.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone first told reporters Feb. 9 that Fried would start on Opening Day.

New York will also have Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón in its rotation at some point during the 2026 season, but both starters are recovering from injuries.

Cole is still targeting a late May or June return to the Yankees after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2025, per CBS Sports' Mike Axisa.

Meanwhile, Boone revealed that he expects Rodón to make his season debut in April.

Rodón underwent an elbow procedure to remove loose bodies and shave down a bone spur in Oct. 2025.

As for Fried, he's entering his second season with the Bronx Bombers after they handed him an eight-year contract worth $218 million as a free agent in Dec. 2024.

His first year in New York was impressive, leading the majors with 19 wins across his 32 starts.

Fried compiled a 2.86 ERA, holding opposing hitters to a mere .223 batting average. He racked up 189 strikeouts compared to 51 walks in 195.1 innings of work.

Fried earned his third career All-Star nod and fourth Gold Glove honor for his efforts while finishing No. 4 in American League Cy Young Award voting.

The Yankees enter their 2026 campaign looking to make a third consecutive postseason appearance. They'll also be attempting to go on a deeper playoff run compared to 2025, as they lost an AL Division Series matchup with the Toronto Blue Jays in four games.

New York will take on San Francisco to begin the regular season on Wednesday at 8:05 p.m. ET.