What's made the New York Mets leading the majors in rotation ERA as of this writing, much more impressive is that their rotation has been so good despite injuries. Sean Manaea, their ace from last season, hasn't thrown a single pitch in a MLB game, and the same can be said about Frankie Montas, a starter New York inked on a two-year deal over the offseason. Montas is currently on a rehab assignment, but continued struggles have Mets fans and even the organization panicking.
Montas allowed eight runs on seven hits while recording only five outs on Friday against Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the New York Yankees' affiliate. He has now allowed 20 runs on 23 hits with nine walks in 13.2 innings of work across five rehab starts. His ERA in those starts is 13.17.
Friday's start could've been Montas' last rehab outing before potentially joining New York's rotation, but his struggles have not only led the Mets to want him to pitch again at Triple-A, but according to Tim Britton of The Athletic ($) he might even be used as a reliever when he ultimately joins the Mets.
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Frankie Montas' struggles could lead to role change
Montas being used as a reliever would be strange, especially since 129 of his 160 MLB appearances have been as a starter. He has just one appearance in relief since 2018, and that came in the final weekend of the 2023 campaign after he had missed that entire season due to injury.
As strange as it'd be to see Montas be used out of the bullpen, it's hard to blame the Mets for keeping that option open. His pitching has been nothing but concerning.
Montas getting off to a sluggish start on his rehab assignment was understandable. He was coming off a fairly serious lat injury, and was essentially going through a full spring training against hitters who are in midseason form. However, he's now five starts into his rehab assignment, and he's only trending in the wrong direction. The more he continues to struggle, the more concerning his struggles are becoming.
Ultimately, the Mets have enough depth not to force the issue with Montas. Even with Manaea still out and Kodai Senga recently being placed on the IL, they have Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning, and Paul Blackburn they can turn to as starters. Manaea is also on a rehab assignment of his own and is nearing a return.
That depth gives the Mets the luxury to ease Montas in as a reliever who'd likely eat innings in low-leverage situations before potentially considering using him as a starter. The Mets would ideally like for him to start games for them, especially since his deal is worth a total of $34 million, but they aren't forced to use him in that role if he isn't ready for it.
All the Mets can hope for now is that his next (and presumably final) rehab start goes better, giving him a better shot to be used in the rotation when he joins the big league team.