The last year and a half have been basically lost for the tall lefty. Montgomery underwent Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2018 and pitched just twice last season.
Now, instead of having a spot in the New York Yankees‘ starting rotation locked down, the man they call “Gumby” has to fight for his job. Entering spring training, Montgomery will compete with veteran J.A. Happ and, potentially, rookie Deivi Garcia for the fifth starter’s job.
Under perfect circumstances, Montgomery should win his job back easily. He’s younger than Happ at just 27 years old, more experienced than Garcia, and has nasty stuff when healthy.