Max Fried encouraged by recovery ahead of latest step toward return Yankees desperately need

Max Fried is set to throw another simulated game Sunday at the Stadium in his comeback from a left elbow bone bruise that’s sidelined him since mid-May.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.

It will be another step for the lefty who still figures to be about a month away from rejoining what’s been a shaky Yankees rotation.Fried and the Yankees remain encouraged by his progress, with Fried saying Saturday that he’s made some mechanical adjustments that should prevent the injury from returning.He said that after his previous live batting practice sessions he’s felt “completely normal.I feel healthy.

… I would love to be able to snap my fingers and be back out there, but as a starting pitcher, it takes time to build up.I’ll get back hopefully soon.”With Carlos Rodón now also out with left elbow inflammation, the Yankees are even more in need of Fried being back on the mound.Fried is now at a stage where he’s mostly just building up his pitch count.After throwing 28 pitches over two innings in his previous sim game, he’s expected to go about 35 over two innings Sunday.If that goes well, a minor league rehab outing could be discussed and as Boone noted, the Yankees will have to decide how deep they need Fried to pitch into a game before welcoming him back to The Bronx.“When do we take him?” Boone said.

“Is it at 60 [or] 75, 80 pitches? Those will be conversations we have over the next couple weeks as he continues to build up.He looks and feels really good.

He looks like Max Fried.”Boone indicated it would likely be “a few weeks” before Fried could realistically be back.“It’s one of those injuries you have to be really careful with,” Fried said.“If you push it too fast, you risk turning it into some sort of break or fracture.”He added he’d “really felt off mechanically most of the year” and is now “more balanced [an...