Yankees Shrug Off Frankie Montas’ Recent Shoulder Issue

Montas experienced shoulder inflammation earlier this month while still a member of the A’s.

The Yankees significantly upgraded their rotation on Monday, acquiring Frankie Montas from the Athletics.

New York also added reliever Lou Trivino in exchange for JP Sears, Ken Waldichuk, Luis Medina and Cooper Bowman. Montas, a 29-year-old righty under team control through next season, was considered the best starter on the trade block after the Reds dealt Luis Castillo to Seattle.

“He's got the full arsenal and the weapons and the stuff that you look for at the top of the rotation,” Aaron Boone told reporters following the trade. “He's gone out and proven through the last couple of years that he is that kind of caliber pitcher.”

The only potential “hiccup” – as Boone called it – with Montas is his shoulder, which experienced inflammation earlier this month. Montas had to depart his July 3 start after just one inning and 13 pitches. But he returned on July 21 and made another start on July 26.

Getting those two starts in before the deadline were crucial, as it’s been long assumed that the Athletics would move Montas before the deadline. With a few recent starts under Montas’ belt, the Yankees weren’t too worried about his shoulder.

“I know the first few times back out, he's building up his pitch count,” Boone said. “I think we're comfortable with where he's at shoulder-wise. [We] know he's going to be a big addition.”

Montas tossed 53 pitches over three innings in the July 21 outing. He went five frames on July 26, picking up a win over the Astros while throwing 78 pitches and allowing two earned runs.

Prior to the shoulder issue, Montas exceeded 100 pitches in a game seven times this season. He may need some more time before he approaches such a pitch count again, but the Dominican native is more than capable of going deep into games.

Aside from being briefly sidelined, Montas is enjoying a stellar 2022 campaign. He made 19 starts for Oakland, recording a 3.18 ERA over 104.2 innings. He struck out 25.8 percent of batters faced while walking 6.6 percent.

If Montas can maintain similar numbers in the Bronx – and stay healthy – the Yankees will have landed one of the deadline’s top talents.

“He’s got a little bit of a bulldog presence, I’ve felt like, out on the mound,” Boone said. “Hearing that’s the kind of makeup he has, I think he’ll look forward to pitching here, pitching in this stadium, and just being a big part of this group.”

MORE:

• Yankees Move Luis Severino, Miguel Castro to 60-Day Injured List; What it Means
• MLB Insider: Yankees Made 'Serious' Trade Offer For Shohei Ohtani
• Yankees Acquire Reliever Scott Effross From Cubs

Follow Gary Phillips on Twitter (@GaryHPhillips). Be sure to bookmark Inside The Pinstripes and check back daily for news, analysis and more.