Sadly, a healthy Frankie Montas will take the mound at Yankee Stadium, just not in pinstripes.
His brief tenure with the Yankees was wasted as he missed all of 2023 except for one appearance due to a shoulder injury.
Nearly two years after being acquired by the Yankees in a trade-deadline deal, Montas has steadily improved his velocity and is regaining his power, but the numbers still aren’t good enough.
The Reds right-hander’s fastball is down a mile per hour from when he was last healthy in 2022.
His primary pitch has always been a four-seam fastball, and he had his most success during those seasons when his catch rate was more than three percentage points higher than it is today.
That was also the year Montas gained more confidence with his splitter.
He began defaulting to it as his second pitch, and hitters averaged .177 against it, according to Statcast.
However, his splitter velocity has also decreased, and his strikeout rate with the splitter has dropped by more than 7 percent.
Montas recorded 10 strikeouts per nine innings in both 2020 and the shortened 2021 season, but that rate has regressed to 7.2 strikeouts in 15 starts this season, a rate inflated by two appearances in which he recorded seven or more strikeouts against weaker teams like Colorado and Arizona, respectively.
Everything you need to know about MLB betting
The Yankees have the most swing-shy batting lineup in MLB and should be ready to take on the ball more often on Thursday afternoon against a below-average strikeout rate.
play: Frankie Montas strikes out under 4.5 (-110, BetMGM)
