Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Frankie Montas Will Miss First Month of Season With More Shoulder Issues

Montas was acquired from the Oakland Athletics at last year's trade deadline, poised to fill the fifth spot in New York's rotation in 2023.

Max Goodman

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Yankees starting pitcher Frankie Montas is expected to miss the first month of the 2023 season due to shoulder inflammation, per Jon Heyman and Dan Martin of the New York Post. 

The right-hander is 8-10 weeks behind in his offseason training, according to Heyman and Martin. 

Montas dealt with issues in his shoulder multiple times in 2022, both before and after he was acquired by the Yankees at the trade deadline. 

When Montas was still pitching for the Athletics, the right-hander missed a few starts in July with inflammation in that shoulder. Despite those concerns, the Yankees traded four players to Oakland in exchange for Montas and reliever Lou Trivino on August 1, a blockbuster trade to strengthen the top of New York's rotation. 

Seven weeks later, Montas was placed on the 15-day injured list with the same exact injury. He didn't return until the playoffs, pitching only one inning in relief in the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros. 

Shoulder complications weren't the only negative part of Montas' first impression in pinstripes. The right-hander struggled mightily after the deadline with his new team, posting a 6.35 ERA over eight starts (39.2 innings pitched).

Before this setback, Montas was penciled in to serve as New York's No. 5 starter this spring, pushed down in the rotation after the addition of left-hander Carlos Rodón in free agency. 

If this turns out to be a long-term issue for Montas in 2023—it's hard not to jump to that conclusion at this point—New York will need to lean on their internal depth at the bottom of their rotation. Right-handers Clarke Schmidt and Domingo Germán could be called upon to pitch in Montas' place.

Montas avoided arbitration on Friday, agreeing to a $7.5 million deal with New York. That salary could've been higher if not for this injury. He will enter free agency next offseason.

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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