The New York Yankees are expected to lose Frankie Montas for the first month of the season as he deals with shoulder inflammation, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Saturday.
Heyman reported that Montas is about 8-10 weeks behind in his off-season training. Montas avoided arbitration from the Yankees by agreeing to a $7.5 Million deal on Friday.
Montas was on the injured list twice last season. The 29-year-old missed two weeks with the Athletics last season after he landed on the injured list during the beginning of July. Montas was traded to the Yankees at the beginning of August, sending top Yankees prospects Ken Waldichuk, JP Sears, Luis Medina and Cooper Bowman to Oakland.
Before landing on the injured list in late September, Montas went 1-3 with a 6.35 earned run average in eight games starting in pinstripes. His last regular season start came against the Milwaukee Brewers on September 16, after which he received an MRI exam that showed inflammation in his shoulder.
Montas was activated during the American League Championship Series, where he pitched in relief for just one inning during Game 4.
He was a highly effective starter on the rebuilding Athletics, pitching over 104.2 innings in 19 starts with a 3.18 earned run average during the 2022 season.
Montas was selected for the Dominican Republic’s World Baseball Classic 50-Man Preliminary Roster by manager Rodney Linares and general manager Nelson Cruz. Montas will miss the World Baseball Classic in his preparation to get healthy for the 2023 season.
