With Fried and Schlittler absent, the Yankees opened the second half of the season with a loss, relying on bullpen pitchers.

New York Yankees ace left-hander Max Fried was scheduled to pitch today—his first game after the All-Star break—hoping to take the mound at Atlanta's Truist Park against his former team, the Braves. However, a troublesome blister on his left index finger disrupted those plans.

With Fried unable to play, the Yankees planned to start right-hander Cam Schlittler, marking the rookie's second appearance in the majors. But Schlittler also had to withdraw—he was dealing with discomfort near his right biceps and had undergone an MRI during the All-Star break.

This left manager Aaron Boone with a suboptimal third choice: to strategize a bullpen game for the Yankees' return, with right-hander Ian Hamilton starting. New York's exhausted relief pitchers, who had just entered their well-deserved All-Star break, were immediately thrust back into heavy duties, taking on the pitching load in a 3-7 loss to the Braves.

Hamilton allowed three runs in the first inning, while Rico Garcia gave up a three-run homer to Ozzie Albies in his Yankees debut, and the Bombers' lineup failed to equalize throughout the night, including notable baserunning errors. In the third inning, Jorbit Vivas was thrown out at third base by Ronald Acuña Jr.—he attempted to advance while Cody Bellinger was out on a fly ball to right field but did not choose to slide.

On the Braves' side, Spencer Strider pitched six scoreless innings. Giancarlo Stanton contributed a two-RBI double from the bench, becoming part of a three-run rally in the seventh, and Bellinger also hit an RBI single, but the comeback was too late to change the outcome.

From the Yankees' perspective, the positive aspect is that both Fried and Schlittler are expected to be ready for the upcoming four-game series against Toronto starting Tuesday. Fried expressed hope about pitching in Toronto, and Boone described the situation as "very realistic." Boone added that Schlittler's MRI results showed no abnormalities. The rookie struck out seven batters in 5.1 innings during his major league debut at home in New York on July 9, with a top velocity of 100 miles per hour.

"We need to consider the remainder of the season; I must ensure I'm fully prepared," Fried said. He revealed that he had been consistently practicing throwing and catching since Sunday (when he exited after three innings against the Cubs due to injury). The blister injury prevented Fried from participating in the All-Star Game for the American League on Wednesday, though he still appeared in Atlanta for related activities. "The recovery is going well," Fried stated, "and we are definitely optimistic."

Will Warren and Marcus Stroman will pitch the remaining two games of the Atlanta series. Boone explained that the Yankees wanted to give Warren an extra day of rest, while Stroman had already begun preparations to start next Monday. "This adjustment really comes too late," Boone said.

Fried has frequently struggled with blisters during his time in Atlanta, attributing some of the issue to the humid summer pitching conditions. During his tenure with the Braves, blister problems had led to him being placed on the injured list four times—23 days apart in 2018, 12 days apart in both 2019 and 2021, and 18 days apart in 2023 (including the gap between the regular season and playoffs).

"This has been an issue I've dealt with throughout my career," Fried said. "If I push the recovery process too quickly, the blisters may reappear sooner. But if managed properly, I can usually pitch without major problems."