SEE IT: Yankees’ Max Fried receives warm welcome back to Atlanta at 2025 All-Star Game
Max Fried may not be playing in the All-Star Game, but he wasn’t going to miss out on the opportunity for a homecoming.
The Yankees’ ace passed his spot on the AL roster to teammate Carlos Rodon with his rotation turn being too close to the action and then an issue with a blister popping up, but he still decided to be in attendance.
The game, of course, is being played in Atlanta where Fried spent the first eight years of his big-league career before signing in the Bronx.
When the 31-year-old southpaw was announced during introductions for the American League, he received arguably one of the biggest rounds of applause of the night — not including Freddie Freeman and the current Braves All-Stars.
Max Fried gets welcomed back to Atlanta pic.twitter.com/M5hBxPnbnD
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 15, 2025
“It’s weird but also really comfortable [being back],” Fried said earlier on MLB Network. “Obviously I’m in a new place, but I come back and see a lot of the staff that were here wether it be the training staff or the coaches or players, just everyone involved.
“Walking back in I’m very familiar with the people and the facilities, so I’m very comfortable but now I’m on the other side, I’m in the other clubhouse, I’m learning that — so it is nice to be able to open the next series and get a little familiar.”
Fried and the Yanks, of course, kick off the second-half at Truist Park on Friday night.
It’s still unknown whether or not he’ll be able to take the mound during that three-game weekend series, but he did say during Monday’s All-Star Media Day that his blister was feeling a bit better.
Fried's slotted in perfectly as New York's ace during his first year with the club — winning 11 of his 20 starts in the first-half and pitching to a stellar 2.43 ERA.
