Story byThe Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.

SWB RAILRIDERS: Fried pleased with first rehab start

Scott Walsh, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.Sat, Jul 18, 2026·7 min read

MOOSIC — It was a night of returns Friday at PNC Field.

New York Yankees lefthander Max Fried made his first rehab start for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders when they came out of the all-star break to begin a nine-game homestand with a weekend series against the Worcester Red Sox. Fried allowed two runs and three hits in three innings with no walks and three strikeouts. He threw 52 pitches (32 strikes), topped out at 95.4 mph and came away feeling good.

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“I was able to get all my pitches in and came out feeling good,” Fried said. “When you come for a rehab in your first live game action in a while, I think those are the most important things.”

George Lombard Jr., the Yankees’ No. 1 prospect, was also back from the injured list. He was 2 for 3 with a home run, walk, one RBI and two runs. He handled five chances (four assists, one putout) at shortstop, but did have one throwing error.

With help from Fried and Lombard, the RailRiders won, 7-6, in front of a crowd of 5,637.

Fried had not pitched since May 13 due to a bone bruise in his pitching elbow. He threw 28 pitches in two simulated innings June 29, then threw 36 pitches in a live bullpen session July 11.

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When he took the field, Fried exchanged high fives and fist bumps with Little Leaguers who were stood next to the RailRiders players for the national anthem.

“You’re connecting with the community and youth and that’s what our sport’s about,” Fried said. “I remember being a Little Leaguer and seeing a bunch of kids standing on the field with the players and how cool and how much I wanted to do it. Just trying to take the moment to say Hi to them, see how they’re doing and just interact. That’s the beauty of minor league baseball.”

Coming into the start, Fried was going to be limited to about 50 pitches. He used up half that amount in a six-batter top of the first.

He allowed a line-drive single on his second pitch to leadoff batter Nick Sogard, then wild-pitched him to second. After striking out Nate Eaton on five pitches, Mickey Gasper singled on a 2-0 count. He fanned Mikey Romero on seven pitches for the second out, but Andrew Knizner lined a 2-1 pitch through second baseman Marco Luciano to score Sogard and give Worcester a 1-0 lead. Fried got Brett Harris to ground a 2-1 pitch to Lombard to end the inning.

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“Just trying to get the feel of a game setting again. I’ve had a lot of BPs,” Fried said. “Trying to throw the ball over the plate, not walk guys, force action and they were ready. Ready to come out of the break.”

However, he bounced back in the second inning, throwing just nine pitches and getting a strikeout and ground out and a line out.

Then, with one out in the third, Eaton jumped on a 2-1 pitch and sent it over the left-field fence for a home run.

“It was a slider, a pitch that I don’t really throw a ton,” Fried said. “But I wanted to try a bunch of different things today and see how it works. I guess that one didn’t.”

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Gasper followed with a high chopper for an infield single. But Fried got Romero to ground out to second. Knizner then hit a ground ball to third baseman Tyler Hardman, who had it ricochet off him and right to Lombard, who threw to first in time for the out to end the inning.

After the lengthy first inning, Fried was glad to go three innings and hit his pitch limit.

“Twenty-five pitches after the first inning, I wanted to try to be able to make it through three, hopefully four,” Fried said. “When you get put behind the 8-ball like that, you just try to go out there and get a quick inning. It was nice to do that. I was able to get my three full innings, 50 pitches, and feeling good, so that’s the most important thing.”

RailRiders manager Shelley Duncan said Fried’s outing was solid.

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“We didn’t have the best defense tonight behind him. He gave up a couple hits that could have been turned into outs. Tough plays for the fielders, I believe in those guys,” Duncan said. “But overall it was fun watching him. He had a long inning in the first and then a really efficient one in the second, which was a good bounce-back inning for him.

“He’s a hard guy to hit when he’s in the strike zone. He’s got a really loaded arsenal that makes it hard for hitters. It’s fun watching him out there.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters in New York that he expects Fried to make another rehab start Wednesday. Fried said his next step is the Yankees’ call and will do whatever they want him to do.

“I’ll just go wherever they want me to for the next one. It’s more about whatever the team needs,” he said. “If they want me to come and keep building up and have another outing, great. Whenever they feel like I’m ready to go and help the team, I’ll be there.”

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He admitted it has been a bit frustrating have to watch as the team has struggled a bit, but believes it will turn things around.

“We’re a confident group. You’re not going to play your best baseball the whole year, all 162,” Fried said. “It’s been not as consistent as we’ve wanted it to, but we’re pretty motivated to come out of the break and play some of our best baseball, especially when it matters most.

“We definitely have some guys down that aren’t playing. But we also have a really deep team that’s really good. The guys filling in are more than capable of going out there and win baseball games. I’m just trying to give them as much support as I can and do what I need to make sure when I’m back that I’m contributing.”

Meanwhile, Lombard had been sidelined since June 16 when he reached into a sliding Columbus runner attempting to field a throw on a stolen base attempt and sprained fingers on his left (glove) hand.

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“I’ve been antsy to get back,” Lombard said. “It’s been about a month. My body feels good and I’m excited to get back with the team and keep helping these guys win games.”

He played two rehab games earlier this week with the Florida Coast League Yankees and homered in each game. In his first at-bat Friday night, he crushed a 1-2 pitch from WooSox starter Raymond Burgos off the signage beyond the walkway above the bullpens in left field for fifth home run of the season, tying the game at 1.

“I was able to get some at-bats down in Tampa while I was rehabbing, so I was feeling good,” Lombard said. “I was looking for a good pitch to start off the game and put a good swing on it.”

With one out in the second, after Kenedy Corona hit a three-run home run to put the RailRiders in front, 4-1, Lombard walked. He scored on a two-out double by Spencer Jones to make it 5-1. In the fourth, he singled with two outs and easily advanced to third on a single by J.C. Escarra. He struck out in his final at-bat leading off the top of the sixth and came out of the game after seven innings.

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“He made his presence felt right from the get-go,” Duncan said. “The thing that stood out was on Spencer’s double he put his head down and really busted it to score easy on that play. A lot of guys might watch the ball to see if it was a homer or not. It’s the little things — the plays he’s making on defense. Even though they gave him a throwing error on the one that got under (first baseman) Ernesto (Martinez Jr.’s) glove was a great play. He’s fun to watch, but it’s the little things that really stand out to me.”

Duncan said the plan is for Lombard to serve as DH on Saturday and play nine innings at shortstop on Sunday.