Yankees right-hander Frankie Montas will return to New York to undergo an MRI on his right shoulder, according to Erik Boland of Newsday. Montas had previously started Friday night's game in Milwaukee against the Brewers. He surrendered four runs on four hits and four walks over the course of 3 ⅓ innings pitched.
Montas, 29, was acquired by the Yankees at the trade deadline as part of a six-player swap that also sent Lou Trivino to New York. In exchange, the Athletics gained pitchers JP Sears, Ken Waldichuk, Luis Medina and second baseman Cooper Bowman.
Whereas Montas had compiled a 3.18 ERA (117 ERA+) and a 3.89 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 19 starts with the Athletics prior to the trade, he has struggled in his first eight outings in New York. Indeed, Montas has accumulated a 6.35 ERA (62 ERA+) and a 2.20 strikeout-to-walk ratio while averaging about five innings per outing. (Trivino has, at least, made good on his opportunity in pinstripes: he's delivered a 1.13 ERA in 16 innings of relief to date with the Yankees.)
The Yankees, who entered Saturday with a 87-57 record and a 5 ½ game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East, are currently without a number of other key contributors. Should Montas require a stint on the injured list, he'll join a group that includes fellow starter Luis Severino, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, infielders DJ LeMahieu and Matt Carpenter, and outfielders Andrew Benintendi and Harrison Bader.
Bader, who the Yankees traded left-hander Jordan Montgomery to the St. Louis Cardinals to obtain, is expected to make his team debut in the coming days. He's been sidelined since June because of plantar fasciitis.
