With the MLB trade deadline looming, the Oakland Athletics were dealt a worrying blow to star pitcher Frankie Montas, who exited his start against the Seattle Mariners after just 1.0 innings of work on Sunday. Montas noticed a significant downtick in his velocity, which prompted the A's to pull him after 13 pitches. After undergoing an MRI, it was revealed that Montas is dealing with some inflammation on his shoulder, though there was no structural damage reported, according to Martín Gallegos.
Frankie Montas’ MRI showed inflammation in his shoulder but no structural damage. Received a cortisone shot, per A’s trainer Nick Paparesta. He will not make his next start in the rotation but no decision on an IL stint yet. He’s day to day.
— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) July 6, 2022
Athletics trainer Nick Paparesta revealed that Montas had been given a cortisone shot and is slated to miss his next scheduled start. Whether or not Montas will require an IL stint remains unclear, though that would be a worrisome update for the A's, who are widely expected to trade him in the next few weeks.
There's hardly a more valuable trade piece on the market than Montas at the deadline, so keeping him healthy needs to be Oakland's top priority. An IL stint could make a trade more difficult to navigate. While a player on the Injured List is still eligible to be traded, it's possible that an injury could impact the return the Athletics would receive in a deal for the 29-year-old.
This season, Montas has recorded 100 strikeouts, a 3.26 ERA, and 1.09 ERA across his first 17 starts this season. He's thrown a total of 96.2 innings on the year, walking 24 batters. With the Athletics clearly set on a rebuild, Montas' future in Oakland is expected to reach its end in the coming weeks. The fact that no structural damage is crucial for the Athletics as they continue to explore potential trades for Montas.
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