In what was supposedly a lost season for the starting pitcher, Frankie Montas shocked the Yankees fanbase and made a surprising rehab start for the Triple-A RailRiders on Saturday.
Frankie Montas Makes Rehab Start
Still a Yankee
For any Yankees fan, 2023 has been hard to forget. It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions, including highs like Domingo German‘s perfect game and lows like Rizzo’s injury. It has been bogged with so many absurdities that it seems impossible as a fan not to remember everything going on in the Bronx. Yet it seems all too easy to forget that Frankie Montas is still a Yankee.
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Certainly, his tenure in pinstripes has not gone how he hoped, as the right-hander boasts a 6.35 ERA in eight starts since joining New York. Many fans also wrote this season off when he underwent shoulder surgery in the spring.
But to quote Geno Smith, Frankie “never wrote back”.
On September 17, the fanbase was shocked when the Yankees announced he would appear in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for a rehab assignment. The last news they had heard was his throwing program being shut down. So the news that he was back seemed as believable as Tom Brady saying he’s really retired this time. But it was the truth, and the former Cy Young vote-getter didn’t let their confusion bother him. He pitched one inning against the Buffalo Bisons giving up one earned run and picking up two strikeouts. The outing lasted only 17 pitches, but it was a step in the right direction.
Frankie Montas on the mound ⬇️
1.0 IP // 1 H // 1 R // 1 ER // 1 BB // 2 K // 0 HR // 17 Pitches, 10 Strikes #EverythingMajor #RepBX pic.twitter.com/FqQ2b69Ky2
— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) September 17, 2023
What’s Next For Montas
Montas’ rehab start most likely will not result in a spot start in the majors this year. Throw in his contract expiring this offseason and this was more than likely the last appearance he makes as a Yankee. This brief outing was most likely just to show potential suitors that he could still throw it. If this indeed is the last we see of Montas in New York, it certainly wasn’t the longest career in the Bronx, but it very well may be one of the most bizarre ones.
