Montas fired two scoreless innings in Thursday's 5-1 Cactus League win over the Rangers, surrendering only one hit and recording a strikeout.
The flame-throwing 23-year-old was exceedingly sharp in his spring debut, hitting 97 and 98 mph on the radar gun according to manager Bob Melvin. The A's would love to give Montas a trial run as a starter this spring, but that desire is supplanted by the need to pace him after an oblique injury derailed his 2016 campaign. He boasts above-average strikeout potential and racked up 20 whiffs over 15 innings in his one previous major league stint, which came with the White Sox in 2015. Barring a change of plan, he's likely be deployed in relief for the balance of the exhibition slate, and then is expected to head to Triple-A Nashville to open the season.