When the Yankees signed him this past winter, they envisioned Fried as a second option behind franchise ace Gerrit Cole. But Cole went down for the year during spring training and the team could be in need of a frontline replacement in the next few weeks as Fried starts to wane.

"If there was a time to get it, this is the one," Fried said. "I would love to not miss any time and be able to come back in without a problem."