On Saturday, an unfortunate update was revealed on the status of New York Yankees starter Frankie Montas.
Montas, who was acquired in a trade last season with the Oakland Athletics, didn’t fare too well unfortunately in his first season in pinstripes. Montas went 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA in 39.2 innings pitched. He pitched once for the Yankees in the postseason but lasted only an inning, having allowed a home run to ALCS MVP Jeremy Peña. And when it rains, it unfortunately pours.
Montas will miss at least the first month of the season according to Jon Heyman. Heyman wrote, “Frankie Montas’ first full season with the Yankees will start much in the same way his ended last year, with him dealing with shoulder inflammation. The right-hander is expected to miss the first month of the regular season.”
Heyman also noted that he is “8-10 weeks behind in his offseason training” according to sources.
This is a brutal update for Montas. It didn’t start off so well for him in the Bronx last season and now this exacerbates it.
To New York’s credit, the Yankees made sure to acquire pitching depth. They signed major free agent Carlos Rodón to a long-term contract this offseason. So in essence, for the first month, Rodón will substitute for where Montas would have been. For the Yankees, their hope is Montas comes back healthy eventually and adds more punch to the rotation as they seek their 28th World Series championship.
