Right-hander Frankie Montas admitted on Wednesday morning that he was not fully healed following a stint on the injured list when he was traded to the New York Yankees last summer.
Acquired from the Oakland Athletics on Aug. 1, Montas made eight starts with the Yankees before returning to the injured list with the same shoulder inflammation that caused his previous absence. He underwent surgery in February that cleaned up his labrum in his pitching shoulder, a procedure that is expected to sideline him for months.
“I wasn’t fully 100 percent,” Montas said. “I was trying to pitch through it. Of course, I got traded to a new team (and) I wanted to show what I can do. Things didn’t go the way I was expecting. But I’m here to try to help this team and go out there and show what I can really do when I’m healthy.”
Montas, who turns 30 on March 21, said he will “for sure” pitch this season, although the Yankees have not provided a timetable for his expected return.
Montas posted a 1-3 record with a 6.35 ERA in eight starts last season with the Yankees.
In seven major league seasons, Montas is 36-35 with a 3.90 ERA in 129 appearances (99 starts) for the Chicago White Sox, Athletics and Yankees.
The A’s traded Montas and fellow right-hander Lou Trivino to New York for left-handed pitchers Ken Waldichuk and LHP JP Sears, right-hander Luis Medina and infielder Cooper Bowman.
–Field Level Media