ATLANTA — Max Fried already knew that he wouldn’t be starting Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at his former home, Truist Park. He passed that baton to Tigers lefthander Tarik Skubal, arguably his biggest rival in this year’s Cy Young race, when Fried’s rotation turn brushed too close to the break.

The question now regarding Fried’s status comes with real consequences, however, as the Yankees’ ace remains uncertain if the blister on his left index finger will prevent him from starting the second half on schedule, and possibly put him on the IL for the immediate future.

“It’s getting better,” Fried said during Monday’s All-Star media availability. “Definitely down. We’re going to try to see if we can maximize the time during the break here — use it as some time to heal it as much as we can. But we’ve got a long second half, so we’re going to take it day by day.”

Fried has had a history of blisters landing him on the IL. It happened four times during his eight-year tenure in Atlanta, and these were no minor issues, costing him at least 12 days on two occasions and as many as three weeks on another. Some pitchers are just prone to blisters, and while Fried has the benefit of experience in treating them, it’s difficult to prevent the problem altogether. In this case, the blister popping up during Saturday’s start actually was a fortunate break for both Fried and the Yankees.

“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.”

Fried was optimistic, but the knowledge of his past dealings with blisters stopped him short of being confident. And for the Yankees, any turns missed by their $218 million ace would be tough to stomach, especially after losing Clarke Schmidt to Tommy John surgery earlier this month and Luis Gil still a few more rehab starts away from making his 2025 debut.

The Yankees already have been forced to cope with a dizzying number of health-related hits to their rotation this season, but Fried served as a seamless replacement for fallen ace, Gerrit Cole, the 2023 Cy Young winner who underwent Tommy John surgery during spring training. Fried’s 11 wins are tied with the Brewers’ Freddy Peralta for the most in the majors, his 2.43 ERA ranks fifth in the AL and his 1.01 WHIP sits at seventh (numbers greatly inflated by surrendering three runs in three innings in Saturday's blister-shortened start).

“Max has been so great for us, obviously,” said Carlos Rodon, who replaced Fried on the American League's active roster. “He’s just been a workhorse for us. He’s been so great at eating innings at an elite level. He’s done what he’s paid to do — he’s the ace of the New York Yankees.”

Fried’s 122 innings are tied with the Phillies’ Zack Wheeler for third most in the majors, which is why watching him bow out of the Yankees' 5-2 loss to the Cubs on Saturday was so unsettling. With the Yankees seeing their rotation splinter during the first half, Fried had been the rock, along with Rodon’s redemption arc in the No. 2 spot. On Saturday, Fried clearly wasn’t himself, allowing six hits and a season-high three walks in such a short span. He threw 79 pitches, and only 39 were strikes.

The Yankees open the second half in Atlanta, so Fried — if ready — would still get a shot at a Truist Park homecoming despite missing the All-Star chance. The welcome reception, however, could be mixed after he bolted from Atlanta to the Yankees in what was a record contract for a lefthanded pitcher.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman signed Fried a matter of hours after losing Juan Soto to the Mets, as the ace lefty spearheaded the Yankees’ winter pivot from the $765 million slugger. But Cashman’s blueprint for a super-rotation didn’t survive spring training, with Cole and Gil (lat-muscle strain) both going on the IL, which then bumped Fried into the vacated No. 1 role. The Yankees subsequently lost Schmidt, Marcus Stroman and Ryan Yarbrough, a string of injuries that played a part in elevating a pair of rookies — Will Warren, and just last week, Cam Schlittler — to the big-league rotation.

Fried isn’t so easily replaced, however. And the thought of him missing significant time, with the Yankees due for a second-half a dogfight in the suddenly-competitive AL East, is not a contingency that Aaron Boone & Co. want to plan around when the season resumes Friday night in Atlanta.