Yankees’ Montas needs surgery, out most or all of season
TAMPA, FLA, » Frankie Montas needs shoulder surgery and will miss most or all of the New York Yankees’ season.
As pitchers and catchers reported to spring training on Wednesday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the 29-yearold right-hander will have right shoulder surgery on Feb. 21. Boone said Montas could possibly return in the season’s second half.
“He was building back up and just still wasn’t quite right,” Boone said. “Now we’ve gotten to the point where they’re going to go in and they’ll scope it. Best case is he woild be back late in the season but we’re really going to know a lot after the 21st.”
Montas was acquired from Oakland on Aug 1. and went 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA in eight starts with the Yankees. He didn’t pitch after Sept. 16 due to inflammation in his pitching shoulder.
“He had shoulder issues when he got to us,” Boone said. “I think with all these pitchers, you’re going to have this similar thing. That’s why, especially with shoulders, they don’t race into shoulder surgeries all the time. You treat these things, and sometimes these things lay dormant, sometimes they are asymptomatic, sometimes they become very symptomatic. For Frankie, it was just I think that nagging thing that didn’t allow him to continue to get over the hump.”
Nats’ Strasburg doesn’t report following setback
WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. » Washington Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg did not report with other pitchers to spring training after a recent setback in his comeback from a 2021 operation to correct thoracic outlet syndrome.
Strasburg, 34, had a nerve-related setback in a recent bullpen session, MLB.com reported. He made only one start in 2022, giving up seven runs in 4.2 innings on June 9. His history of health problems created an uncertain outlook for his chances to return to the rotation in 2023.
Strasburg has thrown a total of 31.1 innings across just eight starts over the past three seasons. He had carpal tunnel surgery in 2020, then needed an operation to correct thoracic outlet syndrome in 2021.
Rangers hold deGrom out
SURPRISE, ARIZ. » Two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom was held out of the first spring training workout for the Texas Rangers because their top free-agent acquisition felt some tightness in his left side.
Each of deGrom’s past two seasons with the Mets were shortened substantially by injuries, but Rangers general manager Chris Young insisted the decision to hold out deGrom was precautionary. It was an unusually chilly day in Arizona and some fields were slick from overnight rain.
“It’s as much about it being Day 1 of spring training as anything,” Young said. “He’s been throwing. His arm feels great.”
Young said deGrom, who signed a $185 million, five-year deal in December, wanted to participate in the first workout of spring training. The GM said deGrom has already thrown about six bullpens. He felt tightness after his latest bullpen a few days ago.
“Nothing major, but having him come in today with the weather conditions, I made the decision that we’re going to hold him off from throwing for a day or two until we can treat him and things return to normal,” said Young, a former big league pitcher. “We wanted to make sure that we play things slowly.”
Clevinger reports as MLB probes charges
GLENDALE, ARIZ. » Mike Clevinger has reported to the Chicago White Sox for spring training, joining his new team amid an ongoing investigation by Major League Baseball into allegations of domestic violence.
White Sox general manager Rick Hahn told reporters the team’s “only option” was to allow the right-hander to come to camp while awaiting results of MLB’s investigation.
Clevinger, 32, finalized a $12 million, one-year contract with Chicago in December. MLB’s probe predates his agreement with the White Sox.
In an Instagram post on Jan. 24, Olivia Finestead said she is the mother of Clevinger’s child and alleged he fathered two other children who were not hers. She posted a photo of marks on her body with accompanying words that alleged the injuries were “from when he threw an iPad at me pregnant” and “finally left when he strangled me.”
“Mike Clevinger,” she added, “you really deserve hell I’ve kept quiet now for almost a year and you continue to covertly abuse your infant.” She said Clevinger “threw chew spit on our baby.”
Hahn told reporters Wednesday the team had no way of knowing about MLB’s investigation “without someone being in violation” of the domestic abuse policy’s confidentiality clause.
Hahn also said “there was no indication of anything close to what is being alleged in this guy’s background.”
Burnes, Singer lose in salary arbitration
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. » Twotime All-Star Corbin Burnes and Brady Singer lost in salary arbitration on Wednesday.
Burnes will receive $10.01 million from the Milwaukee Brewers rather than his $10.75 million request, Melinda Gordon, Jules Bloch and Keith Greenberg ruled one day after hearing arguments.
Singer will get $2.95 million rather than $3,325,000 from the Kansas City Royals, according to the decision by Howard Edelman, Walt De Treux and Brian Keller.
Teams have a 5-3 lead in decisions.
Three players went to hearings on Wednesday: Angels infielder Gio Urshela ($10 million vs. $8.4 million), St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley ($3 million vs. $2.15 million) and Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Josh Rojas ($2.9 million vs. $2,575,000).