Monty gets call to start for CC

Instead of making his first start of the season for Triple-A Scranton/WilkesBarre, Jordan Montgomery instead will pitch for the Yankees against the Red Sox and Chris Sale in Sunday’s series finale in The Bronx.

Montgomery was recalled from SWB on Friday, before the Yankees’ 5-4 win over the Red Sox, when CC Sabathia was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a right knee injury. Montgomery had been optioned only a day after he held the Indians to one run over five innings Aug. 5.

“I’ve had a couple days off and I’m trying to get back into a routine,” Montgomery said. “It’s something I can’t control. I was gonna go down to Triple-A, handle my business and just wait for September or whenever they needed me.”

As it turns out, that need came sooner than anticipated, and he figures to have his hands full against the first-place Red Sox and their ace, Sale.

“I’m not facing him,” Montgomery said. “I’m facing the [Red Sox’s] batters. I’m just happy to be back.”

Greg Bird is scheduled for a minor league rehab stint next week, and he expects this one to go better than when he played 12 games for Single-A Tampa and SWB in June before being shut down when his right ankle continued to bother him.

He since has had surgery to remove a bone in his ankle.

“We fixed the problem, basically,” Bird said. “That’s encouraging. … I’m just ready to play. It’s been an interesting experience.”

Bird hasn’t played in the majors since May 1 and never was right after fouling a ball off his ankle near the end of spring training.

Starlin Castro (hamstring) is expected to begin a rehab stint Monday.