Jordan injury could go from bad to worse
HOUSTON — Jordan Montgomery has the dreaded flexor tendon strain of his left elbow, an injury that has been a precursor to Tommy John surgery for some pitchers. Aaron Boone said there is “nothing that would suggest that at this time,” but regardless it’s a significant blow for the Yankees and their 25-year-old lefty.
Montgomery will be shut down for three weeks before being built back up again in a recovery timeline that could take anywhere from six-to-eight weeks.
“He pitched really well for us and has kind of given us a chance to win every time he’s gone out there,” Boone said of Montgomery, who had compiled a 3.62 ERA in his first six starts of the season. “It’s not great news, but not worse-case news, either.”
The Yankees know the potential long-term risks of the injury all too well.
Former top prospect James Kaprielian, who was traded in the Sonny Gray deal, fits the bill as a pitcher whose flexor tendon strain eventually led to Tommy John surgery. This after he came all the way back only to get hurt again following a phenomenal outing last spring.
Kaprielian, who was traded in the Sonny Gray deal, is still on the recovery trail, hoping to eventually fulfill his massive potential on the mound in Oakland. The Bombers hope that’s not the case with Montgomery.
Domingo German, who threw four scoreless innings in place of the injured southpaw on Tuesday night, will step into Montgomery’s spot in the rotation and take his next turn on Sunday against the Indians.
“Domingo’s been really valuable for us as well, and we have a lot of confidence in him being able to step into that role,” Boone said. “I think in the short-term he’ll be the guy and someone we feel really good about.”
German, a 25-year-old righty who features a fastball-slider-changeup, has posted a 3.77 ERA in five appearances in 2018 — all out of the bullpen.
Montgomery threw a career-high 163.1 innings last season between the majors (29 starts) and minors (two starts). The Bombers do have four off-days in May, so they should be able to skip the No. 5 starter spot on occasion.
The Bombers are lacking in starting rotation depth behind Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, Gray and Montgomery. Luis Cessa is still on the DL with a left oblique strain — and at least a week or two away from playing catch, according to Boone.
David Hale, recalled from Triple-A Scranton to take Montgomery’s spot on the 25man roster, has starting experience. So does A.J. Cole, though he struggled with the Nationals.
In the minor leagues, Chance Adams has been inconsistent at Triple-A Scranton, posting a 5.11 ERA in his first five starts. Justus Sheffield has been dominant at Double-A Trenton, posting a 2.25 ERA in his first five outings while amassing 39 strikeouts in 28 innings. But while a promotion to Triple-A could be near, Sheffield still probably needs more seasoning before he reaches the big leagues.
to this to Brian look come offseason, for Cashman away a rotation but with was had upgrade Shohei unable tried Ohtani, Gerrit Cole, Yu Darvish or others for various reasons. The GM will continue to be on the lookout for that upgrade, and given his deep prospect pool, he can be in the mix on pretty much anyone as the market begins to take shape.
Clint Frazier, who had been out since February with a concussion until recently, homering and delivering a walk-off hit in Wednesday’s game with Triple-A Scranton certainly doesn’t hurt in that regard. Frazier is blocked right now in the outfield anyway, and the Bombers tried to deal him during the offseason to no avail.
The Yankees have already had to deal with DL stints for Jacoby Ellsbury, Frazier, Greg Bird, Aaron Hicks, Billy McKinney, CC Sabathia, Brandon Drury, Tommy Kahnle, Cessa, Adam Warren and Montgomery, and we’re barely a month into the season.
Their depth will again be tested, their bullpen, which has gotten back to being a dominant force, especially.
The Bombers have ridden a hot offense during their recent hot streak, but they’ve relied just as much on their starters getting deep into games.
So Severino, Tanaka, Sabathia and Gray are going to have to step up even more to provide that muchneeded length. Severino did just that on Wednesday, posting his first career complete-game shutout.
Montgomery is out, so it’s next man up, with German getting an opportunity to really show what he can do.
Business as usual in the Bronx.