Frankie Montas shut down for 6-8 weeks with high-grade lat strain – New York Daily News



PORT ST. LUCIE — The Mets are confident they have a good amount of starting pitching depth. That depth will be tested right out of the gate as right-hander Frankie Montas has been shut down with a high-grade lat strain.

Given the timing of the injury, the Mets’ new right-hander will miss a significant amount of time. Montas will be shut down for 6-8 weeks and then will need another 4-6 weeks to go through his spring progression. Spring training is the time starting pitchers build up their arms in anticipation of being able to throw about 90 pitches at the start of the season, so Montas will have to make up for lost time.

Even without Montas, the Mets are still expected to deploy a six-man rotation, though with three off-days in the first three weeks of play and four before the month of May, they could use a five-man rotation and still get starters the extra day of rest intended.

“We’ve got options and it’s still early,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “Here we are dealing with an injury to one of our starters and we’ll continue to have those conversations.”

Montas threw a bullpen Wednesday and felt soreness in his triceps the following day. The trainers determined he needed to undergo imaging and the Mets then had multiple doctors look at the results over the weekend. The 31-year-old departed Port St. Lucie for New York on Monday, where he will receive a PRP shot.

Needing starting depth, the Mets signed Montas to a two-year, $34 million contract with a player option for 2026 in December. He previously had shoulder surgery in 2022 with the Yankees in 2022. In eight starts (nine games) with the Mets’ crosstown rivals, Montas posted a 6.15 ERA and a 4.90 FIP.

Right-handers Paul Blackburn, Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill will compete for the fifth and sixth rotation spots. Jose Butto and Max Kranick are not candidates, with the team wanting to use them in long relief roles. Depending on what they see in spring training, the Mets might be more inclined to carry Canning over Megill to open the season since the latter of the two still has another minor league option left.

“Sometimes it works against guys, having that option,” Mendoza said.

Behind those three on the depth chart are right-handers Justin Hagenman and Kevin Herget, two New Jersey natives, and left-hander Brandon Waddell, who most recently pitched in Korea. The Mets don’t seem inclined to use starting pitching prospects Brandon Sproat or Dom Hamel. After struggling once they hit Triple-A last season, the Mets don’t want to rush their development.

“I will say I feel much better about our starting pitching depth sitting here today than I did a year ago,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said last week. “We made that a priority of our off season. We brought in a number of players at all levels of free agency.”



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