MAY 31: Montgomery looks to be heading overseas to join the Samsung Lions of the KBO, per Sung Min Kim (via Twitter). KBO teams are only allotted no more than two roster spots for foreign pitchers, but Ben Lively has been hurt. Montgomery would be taking his roster spot.
MAY 30: Left-hander Mike Montgomery is planning to opt out of his minor league contract with the Yankees on June 1, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (Twitter link). If New York doesn’t select him to the major league roster, he’ll become a free agent.
Montgomery signed with the Yankees in early April, not long after being released from a minors pact with the crosstown Mets. He’s since pitched in four games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, working to a 7.56 ERA with mediocre strikeout and walk rates (21.1% and 11.8%, respectively) over 16 2/3 innings. While the 31-year-old has worked exclusively as a starter in the minors this season, he has plenty of experience in a swing role.
Between 2015-20, Montgomery made 183 MLB appearances, 70 of them starts. He’s posted a solid 3.84 ERA over that time, although his best production came earlier in his career. Montgomery pitched to a 4.95 ERA/4.90 SIERA between the Cubs and Royals in 2019, and he was limited to just 5 1/3 frames last year by a lat strain.
The Yankees have gotten good production from their pitching staff this season. New York starters entered play today with a 3.42 ERA that ranks ninth in the league, while their 3.46 SIERA ranks fourth. The bullpen has been even better, sporting MLB’s fourth-lowest ERA (2.92) and third-best SIERA (3.34). New York just lost Corey Kluber for two-plus months, though, leaving some uncertainty at the back of the rotation. Deivi García and Michael King have picked up starts in Kluber’s absence.