New York Mets' Veteran RHP Set for Next Rehab Start as Injury Recovery Goes On

Frankie Montas, a free-agent signee in the offseason, has yet to make his debut for New York.

New York Mets pitcher Frankie Montas (47) pitches during a spring training workout at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie, Fla., on Feb 12, 2025. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Right-hander Frankie Montas is inching closer to making his New York Mets debut.

Signed as a free agent on Dec. 4, 2024, he was diagnosed with a high-grade lat strain in mid-February and was shut down. The 32-year-old veteran is expected to make a fifth rehab start on Friday, this one at Triple-A Syracuse

So far, Montas has made two rehab starts at Syracuse, two at High-A Brooklyn. In 12 innings, he has given up 12 earned runs on 16 hits – including six home runs – to go with eight walks as well as nine strikeouts. His record is 0-1 with an ERA of 9.00.

Frankie Montas is having a really rough time during his rehab starts.

In 3.2 IP today, he allowed 3 ER off of 4 hits, 3 walks, and 3 home runs. He’s now allowed 12 ER and 7 HR in 12 IP during his rehab stint.

Has your concern level grown? pic.twitter.com/dZA4aaZquc

— MetsMuse (@MetsMuse) June 8, 2025

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza seemingly isn’t bothered by the numbers, according to SNY.

"This is kind of like spring training for him, and hitters now are in midseason form, you know?" Mendoza said. "It's hard to put too much into it, where you're not game planning and just going out there. I think we've got to do a better job of that, preparing him and giving him a little bit of an idea. But as far as the results and all that, we're not too concerned right now."

When might the Mets begin to see a return on this investment? They signed him to a $17 million contract for 2025 with a $17 million player option for 2026.

Mendoza said the team might use Montas’ 30-day window for rehabilitation to build him up further toward his return, per SNY.

Montas made 30 starts last season and was 7-11 with a 4.84 ERA over 150.2 innings with the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers.

He pitched for the Chicago White Sox (2015), Athletics (2017-22) and New York Yankees (2022-23) before the 2024 season.

The Mets’ pitching staff has a stellar, MLB-leading 2.86 ERA on the season. However, no team ever has enough pitching. Having a veteran like Montas waiting in the wings could be a huge benefit for the Mets the rest of the season.

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