Frankie Montas Reveals He Wasn’t ‘100%’ When Traded to Yankees

The former Athletics right-hander had a difficult start to his tenure in the Big Apple.

Yankees pitcher Frankie Montas revealed that he wasn’t “100%” after getting traded to New York last season, but vowed that he plans to pitch in 2023 despite his continued recovery from a lingering shoulder injury. 

The Yankees acquired Montas in an Aug. 1 trade with the Athletics and expected the right-hander to be a significant contributor down the stretch of the ‘22 season. However, Montas made just eight starts for New York and struggled with inflammation in his pitching shoulder that prevented him from making any appearances on the mound after Sept. 16. 

"I was trying to push through," Montas told reporters Wednesday, according to MLB.com. "I got traded to a new team and wanted to show what I could do. Things didn't go the way I was expecting."

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Montas posted a 1–3 record in his eight starts with the Yankees along with a disappointing 6.35 ERA. In 19 starts for Oakland earlier in the year, he amassed a 3.18 ERA and went 4–9. 

Montas, who will turn 30 later this month, is expected to miss the start of the 2023 season, but said Wednesday that he will “for sure” pitch at some point this year. The Yankees have not given an exact recovery timeline but Montas revealed that he will resume playing catch in about nine-to-10 weeks. 

New York will open the 2023 season on March 30 at home against San Francisco.