DUNEDIN, Fla. — Frankie Montas didn’t throw many pitches in his one-and-a-half seasons with the Yankees, but upon his departure he offered the club one final pitch.
This offseason in Arizona, Montas practiced with Dennis Santana and taught the right-handed pitcher the cutter, exciting the pitcher and his new team.
Santana signed a minor league deal with the Yankees this offseason, and he arrives with a new pitch, the excitement of playing for the club he’s admired since he was a kid, and a real chance to be in the bullpen on Opening Day.
“This is my go-to pitch,” Santana said of the cutter, who borrowed his grip from Montas. “3-1, 3-2, I just believe. It was amazing. I think it’s one of my best pitches right now.”
The hard-throwing right-hander caught the team’s attention during the Grapefruit League season, pitching 7/3 innings, allowing nine hits and one run, with 10 strikeouts.
There will likely be two spots in the bullpen on Opening Day, which will likely include Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loaisiga, Caleb Ferguson, Victor Gonzalez and Ian Hamilton. Luke Weaver is also a candidate to start, but could be a long man.
Tommy Kahnle will likely start the season on injured reserve. Santana, Nick Vardy, Ron Marinaccio and Yoendriz Gomez are the candidates for the final two spots.
Santana, 27, who pitched parts of six seasons in the majors with the Dodgers and Rangers and briefly played with the Mets last year, is making a strong case.
“We’ve heard great rumors about him coming in, and so far that’s confirmed,” Boone said of Santana. Tuesday at TD Ballpark. “He’s got some really good stuff. Cutter…I think he’s worked hard this winter, and as soon as we get to the spring, yeah, it’s like the real deal.”
Santana has been a starter in the past and could be a multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen, but he’ll be a rare five-pitch relief pitcher. On Tuesday, he hit 98 mph with his fastball, but led with a cutter, which he believes is especially effective against left-handed hitters.
If Santana proves useful to the Yankees, they can partially thank that history. Santana grew up in the Dominican Republic watching the Yankees dynasty that included Jorge Posada, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Bernie Williams, Jason Giambi and Mariano Rivera among his favorite players.
“Ever since I was a kid, I would have watched the Yankees and Boston play in the Dominican,” Santana said. “I love ‘NY,’ the hat, the black. When I had the opportunity to sign with them, I just wanted to get it. They’ve won 27 championships. Everyone wants to be here. I am thinking.”
And they can partially thank the pitcher, who appeared in nine games with the Yankees in 2022 and 2023 and signed with the Reds this offseason after missing most of his time in the Bronx due to injury. right.
“He told me it was a great organization, and that’s all I needed to hear,” Santana said of Montas.
Weaver, a rotational depth option, suffered a sore neck Sunday in Monday’s game, but felt better a day later.
“He’s fine,” Boone said, adding that Weaver may take live batting practice on Wednesday. “He felt really good this morning.”
The Yankees optioned catcher Carlos Narvaez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
