New York Yankees starting pitcher Frankie Montas is reportedly expected to miss the first month of the 2023 MLB regular season because of injury.
According to Dan Martin and Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Montas is dealing with inflammation in his pitching shoulder, leaving him eight to 10 weeks behind schedule in his offseason training.
The Yankees acquired Montas and reliever Lou Trivino from the Oakland Athletics prior to the trade deadline last season, sending pitchers JP Sears, Ken Waldichuk and Luis Medina, as well as infielder Cooper Bowman to Oakland.
Montas was widely viewed as one of the best available starters on the trade market, but the move did not pay dividends for New York. An injury delayed his Yankees debut, and after struggling in eight regular-season starts for New York, an MRI showed inflammation in his right shoulder.
As a result, Montas pitched only one inning for the Yankees during the playoffs, allowing a home run out of the bullpen against the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series.
During the regular season with New York, Montas clearly wasn't the same player he had been in previous seasons with the A's, as he went 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 33 strikeouts over 39.2 innings.
