CLEARWATER, Fla. — Jordan Montgomery was a very long shot to make the Yankees’ pitching staff when spring training opened.
Thursday, the 24-year-old left-hander will start against the Rays in Port Charlotte with a chance to force himself onto the 25-man roster.
Granted, the chance is tiny, but the Yankees aren’t ruling it out.
“It’s possible,’’ Joe Girardi said Wednesday when asked if the 6-foot-6 Montgomery could make the team, which opens the regular season against the Rays on April 2. “Either role.’’
Montgomery has made 56 of his 60 minor league appearances as a starter and his last relief outing was in 2015, but Girardi hasn’t completely ruled out bullpen work for the hurler, who threw four scoreless innings against the Tigers in relief on Friday.