Frankie Montas says he wasn't fully healthy when dealt to the Yankees
Yankees starting pitcher Frankie Montas reacts during the fifth inning against the Blue Jays in an MLB game at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 18, 2022. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
TAMPA, Fla. – Frankie Montas acknowledged Wednesday what was suspected by much of the industry last season and what scared multiple teams away at the 2022 trade deadline:
The pitcher was damaged goods upon arrival to the Yankees.
“I wasn’t fully 100%,” Montas said Wednesday morning, making his first comments since undergoing shoulder surgery Feb. 21. “I was trying to pitch through it. Of course, I got traded to a new team, I wanted to show what I can do.”
Montas, acquired from the A’s along with reliever Lou Trivino in exchange for JP Sears, Ken Waldichuk, Luis Medina and Cooper Bowman, missed time earlier in 2022 because of a shoulder issue. The Yankees gave him a clean bill of health but Montas, who had a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts at the time of the deal, never got his footing in the Bronx.
The righthander went 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA in eight starts before landing on the IL in mid-September with right shoulder inflammation and the 29-year-old had arthroscopic surgery early this spring training.
“This was a thing I had to take care of,” Montas said. “Trust me, I’m one of the guys that wants to be out there pitching right now and showing what I can do.”
Though the Yankees aren’t counting on anything from Montas, a free agent at season’s end, the pitcher believes he’ll pitch at some point this season.
“No doubt,” said Montas, whose first day in camp was Wednesday. “For sure. I think I have 9-10 more weeks until I start playing catch. I’ll for sure be back this season.”
High praise
Aaron Judge wasn’t advocating one way or the other in the shortstop competition but in answering a question about Anthony Volpe the outfielder gave his general thoughts on elevating a young player to the majors, even one such as the 21-year-old shortstop prospect who has limited at-bats at the Triple-A level.
“My thing has always been if you’re the best player, it shouldn’t matter your age,” Judge said. “You should be up helping the New York Yankees. If you’re 19 or if you’re 41, if you’re the best guy for the job, you should be playing.”
Extra bases
Ron Marinaccio, whose filthy changeup helped turn the righthander into one of the club’s leading bullpen arms last season, is slated to make his spring debut Thursday. Marinaccio came into camp slightly behind the other relievers after a September shin injury caused him to miss the last part of the regular season and the entire postseason…Aaron Boone said the plan is for Oswald Peraza, out the last few days with a lower leg injury, to return to the lineup Thursday.
