The Yankees' expected rotation has already suffered a blow. Right-hander Frankie Montas, who dealt with shoulder issues last season, is 8-10 weeks behind and is now expected to miss the first month of the regular season, according to the New York Post.
Shoulder inflammation is the malady and it is what cost him time late last season. He was dealing with it when the Yankees acquired him in front of the trade deadline in July and then missed the final two weeks of the season with the same issue. It will now, apparently, linger into the 2023 season.
Montas, 29, was 5-12 with a 4.05 ERA (94 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP and 142 strikeouts in 144 1/3 innings last season between his time with the A's and Yankees. He took a turn for the worse after the trade, as he had a 3.18 ERA with the A's and 6.35 ERA with the Yankees.
There's plenty of upside in there, as Montas finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting in 2021 when he was 13-9 with a 3.37 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 207 strikeouts in 187 innings. Of course, the shoulder injury puts a damper on any optimism.
The Yankees have one of the better rotations in baseball in front of Montas, with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Luis Severino and Nestor Cortes. Without Montas, it's likely Domingo Germán would take the fifth spot, though Deivi García and Clarke Schmidt are also options.
