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HOUSTON — Frankie Montas is back and on the Yankees’ roster as they began the American League Championship Series against the Astros at Minute Maid Park Wednesday night. The right-hander the Yankees acquired from the A’s at the trade deadline had been out with a shoulder injury since the beginning of last month.
Montas, rookie shortstop Oswald Peraza and reliever Greg Weissert were the additions from the ALDS. DJ LeMahieu, who said Tuesday he was hopeful his toe issue had improved enough to make the roster, did not. Neither did Ron Marinaccio, who ended the season on the injured list with a stress reaction in his right shin. Andrew Benintendi, who was a long shot to make the ALCS roster, also did not make it.
Marwin Gonzalez, Lucas Luetge and Aaron Hicks, who was injured, were removed from the roster after the ALDS.
The Yankees envisioned Montas as the No. 2 starter in this series when they dealt away a lot of their top-level pitching prospects for him. Instead, he will be used in short relief.
“I’m going to be out of the bullpen, but I told them whatever they want me to do, if they want me to be an opener, a starter, whatever, a reliever, whatever they want me to do, I’m willing to do whatever just to help us win,” Montas said before Wednesday night’s game.
Montas last made an appearance for the Yankees on Sept. 6. He was shut down with the same shoulder inflammation that he had missed time with while he was with the A’s.
While the Yankees acquired him at the deadline because of his success against their playoff nemesis the Astros, he hadn’t exactly earned consideration for a playoff rotation spot. In eight starts with the Yankees, Montas has a 6.35 ERA.
But, he was acquired with the idea he would help them get past Houston. In 15 career starts against the Astros, Montas has a 3.40 ERA. He’s struck out 68 batters in 76.2 innings pitched.
Boone has talked about using Montas out of the bullpen, which isn’t an entirely new role for him. He’s made 30 career relief appearances (5.66 ERA) with one of them coming in the playoffs. In the 2020 Wild Card Game against the Chicago White Sox, Montas pitched two innings and allowed a run.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the decision was an easy one after watching Montas throw a live bullpen the other day.
“Because he looks really good right now. His live the other day was as good as I’ve seen him here,” Boone said. “It was like, ‘Oh, there’s that guy. He looks really good. He’s ready.’ So I don’t think he’s gonna get this length. I mean, it’s just hopefully at some point he gets in there and feels like he could impact us.”
Weissert made 12 appearances with the Yankees late in the year, coming up when Aroldis Chapman was put on the injured list after his new tattoo got infected. He has a 5.56 ERA in that span, but that includes a disastrous debut in which he walked the first batter, balked and then hit the next batter he saw. He recorded one out before Boone had to pull him. In the next 11, he had a much more respectable 3.27 ERA.
LeMahieu told reporters Tuesday that he felt he had made enough improvement since the end of the season that he could contribute. Boone said he still doesn’t see him as an everyday player.
“I feel like with DJ, if we had an injury come up to where then I would, I would go to, but I still feel like it’s gonna be whatever percent. Where he’s not going to move great,” Boone said. “He can’t really fire but I know if we ran him out there he would represent himself well.”
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