An MRI on Frankie Montas ’right shoulder showed swelling but no structural damage, Oakland Athletics said Wednesday.
The team’s ace was to give a cortisone shot on Wednesday and will not make its next scheduled start against the Houston Astros on Saturday. A gave no timeline as to whether Montas would be able to pull the pitch again before the All-Star break.
If he’s healthy, Montas is one of the most prestigious pitchers available on the August 2 trade deadline. He is the only holdover in the team’s precision purge in which the team traded important items such as first baseman Matt Olsen, third baseman Matt Chapman and starting pitchers Chris Basit and Sean Maneya.
“We’re still in the process of deciding which way to go,” manager Mark Cootsey told reporters and questioned the team’s head athletic coach, Nick Papresta.
“Everything looked great, including the rotator cuff and labrum,” Papresta told reporters. “His shoulder is a little swollen. “We will go there every day and cross the bridge when we get there.”
Montas was ruled out of his last start after just one innings against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. He allowed Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez to go home on his first pitch and threw a total of 13 as his speed averaged 93.8 mph, which he entered at that start, less than 96.2 mph.
The 29-year-old dropped 3-9 in 17 overs with a 3.26 ERA as the 29-year-old suffered Sunday’s defeat. He was 13-9 with a 3.37 ERA and 207 strikeouts in 32 starts while Sai Young was sixth in the poll.