The New York Yankees‘ starting rotation couldn’t escape the off-season without sustaining yet another injury. Trade acquisition last summer, Frankie Montas finished last season with shoulder issues and picked up right where he left off just a month before spring training gets underway.
The Yankees need the best version of Frankie Montas:
Montas was excellent with the Oakland Athletics last year, enjoying a 3.18 ERA, 3.20 xFIP, 9.37 strikeouts per nine, and 1.03 home runs per nine across 104.2 innings. The very moment he joined the Yankees, things began to deteriorate, hosting a 6.35 ERA over 39.2 innings.
The hope was that Montas would provide a stellar No. 5 in the rotation, but he’s already dealing with shoulder inflammation that will knock him out for at least a month into the regular campaign.
According to the New York Post, Montas will miss serious time.
The right-hander is expected to miss the first month of the regular season and is, according to sources, 8-10 weeks behind in his offseason training.
Luckily for the Bombers, they signed Carlos Rodon to a six-year, $162 million deal to provide yet another high-end starter to the rotation. Nonetheless, the Yankees settled with Montas to avoid arbitration, landing him on a $7.5 million deal for the 2023 season. It is unfortunate to see that Montas continues to struggle with injury, having missed a bit time of time with Oakland in 2022 as well.
On the back end, the Bombers have Clarke Schmidt and Domingo Germán available if need be. Schmidt pitched 57.2 innings last year, recording a 3.12 ERA and 8.74 strikeouts per nine. He’s capable of spot starting in the rotation and coming out of the bullpen, but German is more of a starting option that could fill in as the No. 5. He pitched 72.1 innings last season, recording a 3.61 ERA and 7.22 strikeouts per nine. He’s not a high strikeout pitcher, but he can get the job done and make a few starts until Montas is ready to roll at some point in April.