The Oakland Athletics were hit with a worrying injury blow when ace Frankie Montas was removed from Sunday's start against the Seattle Mariners ahead of the second inning. Montas, who was experiencing a notable downtick in velocity, threw a total of 13 pitches in the outing, surrendering one run via a solo home run from Julio Rodriguez. After the game, A's manager Mark Kotsay revealed that Montas was dealing with shoulder tightness and is considered day-to-day, via Martín Gallegos.
Frankie Montas has tightness in the back of his shoulder. Had trouble getting extended. He’s day to day, per Kotsay.
— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) July 3, 2022
That's incredibly encouraging for Montas, who remains one of the top trade deadline targets in all of baseball. With the MLB trade deadline less than a month away, keeping Montas healthy will be crucial for the A's.
When he was removed after the first inning without any update, fans immediately began to speculate as to whether he was being dealt in advance of the deadline. Kotsay poured cold water on those rumors with his update on Montas, revealing that Montas had been dealing with tightness in the back part of his shoulder, which prevented him from getting the proper extension when throwing.
Montas was credited with the loss after the Athletics were defeated 2-1. He was replaced before the second inning by Austin Pruitt, who pitched well in relief, lasting 4.1 innings and striking out six batters while surrendering just 1 run.
On the year, Montas is now 3-9 with a 3.26 ERA. Following Oakland's roster teardown this offseason, which saw them send Matt Chapman to Toronto, Matt Olson to Atlanta, and Sean Manaea to San Diego, it's widely expected that Montas will be the next piece to leave.
He'll be one of the most sought-after trade pieces at the deadline, so the A's will certainly be relieved that he's avoided any significant injury.
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