Before Fried took the mound, the Yankees announced that Luis Gil had been shut down for at least six weeks with a strained lat. That means the reigning American League Rookie of the Year will be out for at least 12 weeks, a major blow to the Yankees' rotation and pitching depth.

It won’t be remembered as his Yankees debut, but Max Fried said he felt “a little kick of adrenaline” as he made the long walk from the right-field bullpen to the mound on Monday evening at George M.

Soto’s departure upset the Yankees, but didn’t prevent them from responding quickly, and their pivot to pitching was as effective as it was decisive.

With spring training now a few weeks old, it’s clear the Yankees’ cerebral starters will be sounding boards for one another, as well as their teammates.