Yankees Place Frankie Montas On I.L. With Shoulder Inflammation
The Yankees finally saw one of their trade deadline acquisitions, Harrison Bader, debut for the team on Wednesday. However, they placed another pre-deadline pick-up on the injured list to make room for the center fielder.
New York added Frankie Montas to the 15-day I.L., retroactive to Sept. 17, with right shoulder inflammation following an MRI. The right-hander dealt with the same issue for over two weeks in July while still a member of the Athletics. Still, the Yankees sent a package of Cooper Bowman, Luis Medina, JP Sears and Ken Waldichuk to Oakland for Lou Trivino and Montas, who has struggled with New York since the trade.
The 29-year-old has a 6.35 ERA over eight starts with the Yankees.
Montas will be shut down from throwing for at least 10 days after receiving a cortisone shot on Monday (he also received one in July). That won't leave him much time to build himself back up before the playoffs. However, Montas hopes to be a contributor in October, though it's unclear how the Yankees would use him after a poor start to his pinstriped career.
“I mean, I still want to go back and try and help the team in the playoffs,” Montas told reporters Tuesday, per Kristie Ackert of the Daily News. “You know, whenever I can.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone expressed similar hopes, though he will take a wait-and-see approach with Montas.
“It’s certainly possible,” Boone said, referring to Montas’ timetable. “But we’ll just see how the recovery goes over the next week or 10 days. And then we’ll see where we are from a calendar standpoint, how many pitches we can get him up to, those types of things.”
With Montas on the shelf, Domingo Germán will slot into the Yankees' rotation and start on Saturday against the Red Sox. Germán has pitched well since coming off the I.L. in July, recording a 3.12 ERA over 57.2 innings, including 11 starts.
Luis Severino will also rejoin the Yankees' rotation on Wednesday after a lengthy stint on the I.L.
