NEW YORK — After a painfully inept week for the New York Yankees, they have won a ballgame.

The Yankees’ seven-game losing streak is over. They beat the Minnesota Twins 5-2 on Friday night. The Yankees’ elixir could not have come at a better time. The Yankees’ 112-44 record against Minnesota since 2002 is the best record by any team versus an opponent in its own league over that span.

The Yankees had other bright spots Friday, with Trent Grisham and Ryan McMahon activated off the injured list. Right away, Grisham delivered. He led off the game with a home run and added a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning. Gerrit Cole also bounced back after his poor outing against the Boston Red Sox by pitching five scoreless innings while navigating a nearly hourlong rain delay.

“In what’s been a tough week for us, to go out there and play a pretty complete game, and be able to support Gerrit, who was really good through a rain delay — that one feels good,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

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The win was a plus for the Yankees, but they received unfortunate news before the game. Here are three things to know:

The latest Yankee to hit the IL

Before Friday’s game, the injury news kept rolling in for the Yankees.

There was some intrigue about whom the Yankees might demote with Grisham and McMahon returning. Would it be Spencer Jones, Jasson Domínguez or Anthony Volpe?

How about none of them? The Yankees placed Carlos Rodón on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation.

Rodón was expected to start Saturday’s game against the Twins; instead, Brendan Beck was recalled from Triple A to take his place in the rotation. The Yankees optioned Jones to Triple A for Beck’s return.

The good news for Rodón is that all of his elbow ligaments are intact. As of now, the Yankees aren’t anticipating his stay on the injured list to be lengthy. If the Yankees follow a shorter timeline and Rodón resumes throwing within a week, he could rejoin the rotation before July concludes.

But the Yankees may want to play it safe with the left-hander. He had a bone spur shaved down and loose bodies removed from his elbow in the offseason, which caused him to miss spring training and the first month-plus of the season.

Rodón has also had mixed results with his command. Boone said this inflammation may have played a role.

It’s not ideal for the Yankees, who continue to be without Max Fried, too. There’s no timetable for Fried’s return, and now Rodón will miss at least a few starts.

Bad news on Carlos Lagrange

Lagrange, who was seen as someone who would eventually make an impact on the 2026 Yankees, was diagnosed with a capsular sprain of the right shoulder Friday night. The Yankees announced that Lagrange will not throw for approximately six weeks.

That means Lagrange’s throwing program is on hold until at least mid-August. Usually, for however many weeks a pitcher doesn’t throw, it takes the same amount of time to build back up to where he was. If the Yankees follow that timeline, it would mean Lagrange may be back by the final week of September — if there are no setbacks in his recovery.

It’s possible he could be back sooner, but the Yankees might want to be cautious with one of their prized prospects. This injury all but eliminates him from making his MLB debut this season.

The organization hoped Lagrange would be playing in the Bronx before the trade deadline, effectively providing an internal solution for a bullpen in need of reinforcements. That possibility has been wiped off the table.

At the beginning of June, the organization initiated Lagrange’s transition from the rotation to the bullpen. The Yankees employed a “de-load” strategy, methodically trimming his pitch count and adjusting his recovery schedule to mirror that of a conventional relief pitcher. Whether this shift in responsibility contributed to the shoulder issue remains a question mark for Boone.

“I think it’s impossible to answer that for sure,” Boone said. “We were pretty disciplined and methodical with how we took him into that role. I feel like we were careful with it. You never know for certain why a pitcher’s arm (injury) happens.”

Lagrange is one of the most dynamic arms inside the Yankees’ organization. No one throws harder. He’s been clocked at 103 mph, and he struck out Aaron Judge during live at-bats in spring training on one of those heaters.

It’s now likely fans won’t see that kind of heat at Yankee Stadium until 2027 at the earliest.

Why was Yovanny Cruz demoted?

Perhaps nothing during the Yankees’ seven-game losing streak sparked as visceral a reaction as the club’s decision to demote Yovanny Cruz to Triple A.

Cruz has appeared in three games this season for the Yankees, allowing just one hit while striking out six in 4 1/3 innings. In Tuesday’s loss to the Detroit Tigers, Cruz faced six batters and struck out three. But he was sent back to the minors to create room for David Bednar, who was on the paternity list.

But few relievers have looked as dominant for the Yankees, albeit in a small sample, as Cruz. So why is he pitching in the minors?

“He’s been really encouraging his couple of cameos up here,” Boone said. “I think it’s just more about continuing to be more and more consistent with the strike throwing. The splitter, which we saw the other night, is kind of a new thing for him. We want him to continue to get that going. If he’s got that splitter going and the strike throwing going, then it gets really exciting.”

The front office’s decision to demote Cruz is a clear sign that it is currently not as high on the righty’s potential to be a difference-maker as the fanbase thinks he should be. The Yankees want to see Cruz throw more strikes in Triple A. He’s been below average in strike throwing in the minors, and it hasn’t reaped extraordinary results for him.

Cruz’s stuff is electric, though. The splitter Boone mentioned raises eyebrows. If he can refine that pitch and improve his command, he will be back in the bullpen.

Holy demon lurking in the Yankees bullpen pic.twitter.com/2VstDUhGn1

— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) July 1, 2026

“In his couple of shots here, he’s thrown the ball really well,” Boone said. “We’re super encouraged but want him to continue to work and have that splitter going, too.”