Max Fried’s Yankees introduction featured a fun twist.
The pitcher — who signed an eight-year, $218 million deal, the largest contract in MLB history for a lefty ace— and his girlfriend, Reni Meyer-Whalley, went public with their relationship Wednesday at his introductory press conference at Yankee Stadium.
Meyer-Whalley, a former volleyball player at USC, sat in the front row with his mother, Carrie Fried, and she also posed with his family at the podium.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman delivered flowers to Fried’s mother and girlfriend at the start of the press conference.
It’s unclear when Fried and Meyer-Whalley, who are both natives of Los Angeles, started dating.
They have not made their relationship public on social media.
Meyer-Whalley is a licensed aesthetician, according to an Instagram account that is private and includes a profile photo of the couple at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday.
Meyer-Whalley was a libero and defensive specialist for the Women of Troy.
As a senior in 2017, she appeared in all 35 of USC’s matches with 34 starts and played in all 136 sets — and recorded a team-high 12 double-doubles.
Meyer-Whalley transferred to USC after redshirting her freshman year at Washington.
It’s also unclear how exactly she and Fried met.
Fried, a three-time Gold Glove winner, is part of the new-look Yankees after the loss of star left fielder Juan Soto to the Mets.
The Bombers also added outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger and pitcher Devin Williams after a crushing loss to the Dodgers in the 2024 World Series.
