Max Fried ready to rejoin Yankees rotation after brief IL stint

It will end up just being the minimum for Max. After Friday marked Max Fried’s 15th day on the 15-day injured list with a recurring left elbow bone bruise, the Yankees will activate the left-hander Saturday to start one of their games in a doubleheader against the Red Sox.  Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.While Fried’s IL stay for the same injury cost him two-plus months earlier this season, he will have essentially missed just two turns through the rotation this time, providing a sigh of relief for the organization. “I think we were hopeful of that going in, because there was some thought we maybe could have even kept him pitching,” manager Aaron Boone said Friday.

“But felt like this was the smarter thing to do to give ourselves the best chance to be in a better place with him in what we hope is a couple more months of playing.He’s responded well.” Of course, the question that will loom over Fried the rest of the season is whether the injury will flare up again and if he can effectively pitch through it. For now, the Yankees will welcome him back Saturday, albeit on a limited pitch count — likely around 70 — after he threw four innings and 60 pitches of live batting practice Monday.

He threw two bullpen sessions around that, clearing the way for him to return to the rotation for a huge showdown against the Red Sox. Heliot Ramos was in the lineup Friday for the first time in nearly a week — and the first time since Cody Bellinger returned from the injured list.He started in right field entering a weekend in which the Yankees hope he can find some momentum. The right-handed-hitting outfielder, acquired from the Giants at the deadline, was batting just 6-for-54 in his first 17 games as a Yankee.

But only 11 of those at-bats came against lefties as the Yankees went through a heavy stretch of opposing right-handers. “This is one ...