Max Fried continues to be the $218M backbone the Yankees rotation desperately needs

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.The Yankees entered play with the second-worst rotation ERA in baseball (5.17), a group that has been so shaky its second-best performer statistically is Will Warren — who owns a 5.14 ERA. The lone and needed saving grace: its best performer. Max Fried again pitched like the $218 million man that he is in Tuesday’s 4-2 win over the Royals in The Bronx, the Yankees moving three games over .500 and 4-for-4 in Fried outings. The Yankees have needed Fried to step up now because everyone else has stumbled.

Carlos Rodón has continually missed in high-leverage situations, allowing a tied-for-league-high five home runs.He is tied with Carlos Carrasco, who himself has a 5.94 ERA.

Marcus Stroman took an 11.57 ERA with him to the injured list, with Clarke Schmidt set to plug the hole Wednesday. The club has needed Fried to assert himself early, and the lefty is impressing with his timing both macro and micro. What has become clear to fans watching him regularly for a first time is Fried knows when to put his foot on the gas and knows when to ease off the pedal. With one out and Salvador Perez on third base in the fourth, Fried — already trailing 2-0 because of struggles an inning prior — took something off a four-seamer, the 93.5 mph heater getting Hunter Renfroe to foul out.A batter later, he used a 96.3 mph fastball to get ahead of MJ Melendez, who soon after grounded out on a sweeper as Fried escaped danger. “Just understanding that hitting is timing,” said Fried, whose fastballs ranged from 93-97 mph and whose ERA is at 1.88.

“It’s rhythm and timing, and if you can try to disrupt that and throw a couple different speeds on a fastball, hopefully you can get some weak contact and get some extra outs.” The Royals only got to Fried in the third, when Melendez homered, and Maikel Garcia reached on a swinging ...