Boone names Montgomery No. 5 starter
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Based on Jordan Montgomery’s solid rookie season last year, the lefty opened spring training as the heavy favorite to remain the Yankees’ fifth starter.
On Friday, manager Aaron Boone confirmed the 25-year-old will be the No. 5 starter. Chad Green and Adam Warren were on starter’s program, but the first-year manager said Green will begin getting ready to be a reliever.
“I viewed it as he was a front-runner for that spot,’’ Boone said of Montgomery, who will start Sunday against the Marlins. “We are really excited, not only about the year he put together last year but where we think he will continue to go. When I look at him I look at him as one of our starters.’’
Montgomery went 9-7 with a 3.88 ERA in 29 starts last year, when he worked 155 ¹ /3 innings.
“We will move Greenie to the pen role and start preparing him that way,’’ Boone said of the right-hander, who developed into a big piece of the Yankees’ pen last year when he went 5-0 with a 1.83 ERA in 40 games (one start) and struck out 103 in 69 innings. “We will start to work him in that role where obviously he is capable of multiple innings.’’
So, too, is Warren who made 46 relief outings last season and went 3-2 with a 2.35 ERA.
With Green able to provide more than three outs and Warren to give length, add in Tommy Kahnle, Dellin Betances, David Robertson and Aroldis Chapman, and the Yankees are loaded in the bullpen.
“We feel as good as about any team in major league baseball about our pen,’’ Boone said. “In a lot of ways if we get a lead after five or six [innings] we feel really good based on who we have down there. We have a lot of guys who can come in and put out fires.’’
Masahiro Tanaka is scheduled to make his second start of the spring Monday night against the Twins at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Yankees hitting coach Marcus Thames said he doesn’t have a problem with Aaron Judge, or any other hitter, having an outside hitting coach, with provisions.
“If someone has a hitting guy I don’t mind, but I have to be able to communicate with the guy because I am with him every day,’’ Thames said. “Just understanding the same language they are speaking and make it one language. If there are so many voices coming at you in different lingo it can be tough.’’