New York Yankees right-hander Frankie Montas will soon undergo arthroscopic surgery on his troublesome throwing shoulder, manager Aaron Boone told reporters on Wednesday at spring training. According to Boone, Montas has a chance to pitch in the upcoming season, but if he does it will be late in the year. The surgery is scheduled for Feb. 21.
Montas dealt with shoulder inflammation earlier in the offseason leading up to the start of his throwing program late last month, and he was unable to progress as hoped.
The 29-year-old pitcher was acquired from the Oakland A's as part of a six-player trade that was finalized leading up to last year's deadline. Montas struggled across eight starts with the Yankees in 2022 and worked only one inning in the postseason. Prior to that, however, he enjoyed a breakout 2021 campaign with the A's in which he finished sixth in the AL Cy Young balloting. Montas and the Yankees recently settled on a $7.5 million contract for the upcoming season. He's slated for free agency this winter.
While the loss of Montas is a blow in terms of depth, he wasn't likely to crack the New York rotation. Right now, that rotation figures to include Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Luis Severino, Nestor Cortes, and Domingo Germán.
