Montgomery was impressive in his first start of spring training Thursday against Tampa Bay as he gave up two runs over 4.1 innings with eight strikeouts and no walks. "I liked what I saw - a lot," manager Joe Girardi told Newsday.
Montgomery has gone from a dark horse candidate to make the bullpen to the thick of the competition to win a spot in the rotation. He has a 3.68 ERA with a 13:2 K:BB in 14.2 innings this spring. He's competing with Luis Severino, Adam Warren, Bryan Mitchell and Luis Cessa for the final spot in the rotation.