Yankees' Frankie Montas Placed on 15-Day IL With Shoulder Injury

The New York Yankees placed starting pitcher Frankie Montas on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder injury on Tuesday.

While the Yankees will be without Montas for now, the team did receive some good news regarding the injury. Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Montas' MRI revealed no major damage.

Montas told reporters on Saturday that he was going to undergo an MRI on his shoulder, but he was optimistic there wasn't anything seriously wrong.

The Yankees decided to have the right-hander examined after his Sept. 16 start vs. the Milwaukee Brewers in which he allowed four runs on four hits and four walks in 3.1 innings.

This marks Montas' second MRI in 2022. He had one in July while still playing for the Oakland Athletics that revealed shoulder inflammation but no structural damage. The 29-year-old spent two weeks on the injured list.

After dipping their toes into the Juan Soto trade waters, the Yankees made Montas their big in-season acquisition prior to the trade deadline. They sent four prospects to Oakland in exchange for the veteran pitcher.

Montas had a 3.18 ERA with 109 strikeouts in 104.2 innings through 19 starts with the A's prior to the trade.

Since the move to New York, Montas has struggled to a 6.35 ERA, 46 hits allowed and 33 strikeouts over 39.2 innings. He has only pitched at least six innings twice and has allowed at least four earned runs five times in eight starts.

Montas' issues are among several problems the Yankees have had since the All-Star break. They are 24-30 in 54 games during the second half after posting an MLB-best 64-28 record before the Midsummer Classic.

New York still leads the American League East by 5.5 games with 16 games remaining in the regular season. Its postseason chances depend on key players, including Montas, playing up to their potential.