Plans for a pair of aces are on hold with Gerrit Cole out for the 2025 season before it began, pushing Max Fried to the front of the New York Yankees' rotation. Fried, 31, has known Cole since they met on a recruiting visit to UCLA and recently signed as a free agent to team up with the right-hander in pinstripes.

The Yankees are scheduled to begin the regular season against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 27 against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Max Fried is now the de facto ace for the New York Yankees. Gerrit Cole is going to miss the entire 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery, and up-and-comer Luis Gil — the reigning AL Rookie of the Year — is going to miss at least three months with a lat strain.

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