The New York Yankees, apparently, won’t get to find out what could have been if Frankie Montas had been fully healthy for even a small period of time.
The right-hander had a 3.18 ERA with the Oakland Athletics when the Yanks acquired him in exchange for four prospects before the deadline in 2022.
He had missed time in July with shoulder issues, but the Yanks went ahead and executed the trade anyway.
He missed a sizable portion of the stretch run and most of the postseason with his recurring shoulder problems.
Yankees fans then thought about his potential to contribute in 2023, his last year under contract with the team, hopefully with a clean bill of health.
That wasn’t the case, though.
A few weeks ago, it was reported that Montas was behind in his throwing program and would miss the first month of the season.
Well, the situation just went from bad to worse.
“Aaron Boone announces that Frankie Montas will undergo shoulder surgery on Feb 21. ‘Best case is he would be back late in the season,'” YES Network tweeted.
Aaron Boone announces that Frankie Montas will undergo shoulder surgery on Feb 21.
"Best case is he would be back late in the season." pic.twitter.com/w3NsToHRVB
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) February 15, 2023
Well, there you have it: the only way Montas can contribute meaningful innings to the Yankees with full health will be if he is able to return before the season ends.
The team will most certainly not pursue him once he hits the market.
It’s not his fault, or anybody’s fault for that matter.
However, Yankees fans won’t have fond memories of the Montas era in pinstripes because of his troublesome shoulder.
It’s a bummer, because he is an extraordinarily talented hurler when healthy.
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