Ken Waldichuk, Traded for Frankie Montas, Set to Debut for A’s

The Yankees drafted Waldichuk in 2019.

One month after being traded to the Athletics, ex-Yankees prospect Ken Waldichuk is set to make his major league debut.

With the calendar flipping to September and rosters expanding, Waldichuk will start for Oakland on Thursday in Washington. The A’s acquired the left-hander, along with Cooper Bowman, Luis Medina and JP Sears, on Aug. 1 in the deal that sent Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino to New York.

Waldichuk is considered the A’s third-best prospect and the 70th-best in baseball, according to MLB.com. He solidified himself as a farmhand with potential in the Yankees’ system after New York drafted the 24-year-old in the fifth round in 2019 out of Saint Mary's College of California. Waldichuk shot up the Yankees’ minor league ranks and recorded a 1.26 ERA with 14.4 K/9 over 28.2 innings this year at Double-A Somerset before being traded.

He has been pitching for Triple-A Las Vegas since joining the A’s organization, tallying a 3.38 ERA with 10.1 K/9 across 18.2 innings.

With Waldichuk considered the centerpiece of Oakland’s return, Thursday should be an exciting day for the last-place club. The Yankees, meanwhile, have not gotten what they expected from Montas yet.

The 29-year-old righty has made five starts for New York, registering a 7.01 ERA over 25.2 innings. Montas most recently allowed four earned runs and three home runs in a six-inning performance against the Angels on Aug. 29.

READ: Frankie Montas Shrugs Off Another Stinker, Still Searching For Success With Yankees

Montas is the second pitcher in Yankees history to allow 20 or more earned runs and record zero wins in his first five games with the team, per Katie Sharp. Esteban Loaiza did the same in 2004.

While Montas has struggled, Trivino has been an asset out of New York’s short-handed bullpen. He joined the Yankees with a 6.47 ERA, but the righty owns a 0.82 mark in 11 innings since the trade.

Trivino, 30, and Montas are both under team control beyond this season. Montas won’t be a free agent until 2024, while Trivino isn’t slated for the open market until 2025.

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