4:13pm: Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters (including Mike Puma of the New York Post) that Montas’s UCL injury is “pretty significant.” Mendoza went on to confirm that Montas will not pitch again in 2025.
2:21pm: The Mets announced that Frankie Montas has been placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to August 22) due to a UCL-related injury in his right elbow. Right-hander Huascar Brazoban has been called up from Triple-A to take Montas’ spot on the active roster.
It’s the latest setback in what was been a brutal inaugural season for Montas in Queens. The right-hander signed a $34MM guarantee with the Mets during the winter but has produced just 38 2/3 innings of work for the team so far. A lat strain suffered at the outset of Spring Training left Montas to open the season on the injured list and he did not make his season debut until June 24. After throwing five scoreless innings in his first start of the year, Montas pitched to a ghastly 7.85 ERA over his next six starts with an 18.2% strikeout rate and a whopping seven home runs allowed. Those brutal results led the Mets to move Montas to the bullpen earlier this month, where he’s surrendered four runs (two earned) on four walks and six hits (including a home run) while striking out just three.
Altogether, Montas has posted a 6.28 ERA and a 5.31 FIP during his time with the Mets with an 18.0% strikeout rate and a 7.9% walk rate. It’s a deeply disappointing outcome, and now it’s an open question when Montas will next be available to pitch. The Mets have made no announcements about the right-hander’s timeline for return, nor offered any indications about the severity of the injury. Of course, many fans will wonder about the possibility of Tommy John surgery, which is often required to repair a pitcher’s UCL once damaged. Such a procedure (or even a less-invasive internal brace procedure) would likely cost Montas not only the remainder of this year but also the entire 2026 season. With that being said, some UCL injuries are possible to address via rehab. That’s a path that Braves hurler Grant Holmes opted to take earlier this month as he deals with a partial UCL tear, though even Holmes’s rehab process has brought his 2025 campaign to an abrupt end.
While the details of Montas’s prognosis and timeline for return won’t be clear until the Mets make an announcement offering more information, the club will be without the right-hander for at least the immediate future. Given the fact that Montas’s performance was poor enough that he was bumped from the rotation earlier this month, perhaps that’s not too massive of a blow. Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, David Peterson, and Clay Holmes remain in the club’s rotation and have recently been joined by top prospect Nolan McLean. Brandon Waddell and Justin Hagenman remain in the minors already on the 40-man roster as potential depth options behind that group, and well-regarded prospect Brandon Sproat has a 4.24 ERA in 24 starts at Triple-A this year.
Replacing Montas on the roster is Brazoban, who began his career in the majors with Miami back in 2022 but has served as an up-and-down relief arm for the Mets this year. It’s a role he’s performed quite well in, with a 3.83 ERA and 4.14 FIP across 51 2/3 innings of work spread between 3 starts and 41 relief outings. Brazoban figures to take up Montas’s mantle as the club’s long reliever going forward.
Legendary signing by Stearns right here.
I just don’t get it. Out of all the pitchers he could’ve signed, he signs Montas.
He had no problem trading Scherzer and Verlander.
Stearns didn’t make those trades…
True, but somebody did and someone should take responsibility for it.
How ironic, maybe start by taking responsibility yourself for your flat out wrong comment
Deny the Trolls: Maybe take some responsibility and change your handle to something like King of the Trolls. 🤣
Real funny, but if I’m talking about sports and you’re just disagreeing, that’s not trolling. It’s just you not liking my opinion. And trust me, your name is pretty well known around here for disagreeing from what I have seen.
Fine, maybe I’m wrong, but the premise isn’t. They traded away their starters and then needed pitching when it was time to compete, in a matter of two years. Buffoon organization with buffoon moves.
Deny: Well excuse me if I don’t always agree with other people’s opinions.
Freedom of thought and expression is a cherished American value, as much as Mr. Trump would like to suppress any thought and expression he doesn’t like.
You don’t have to agree, that’s fine. But maybe be a bit more respectful about it
So, you’re defending the Montas signing then?
But you are wrong. Both on the facts, and on the premise. The Scherzer and Verlander contracts with the Mets expired after last season, so they would not have been here anyway. Both pitchers struggled last year and did not contribute much to their teams.
The Mets did better last year than the teams that acquired those pitchers, both in the regular season, and in the playoffs. And those pitchers would not have been here now, anyway. So your point and premise are, at best, moot.
Deny: I’m respectful enough.
But I’m not… whether they are on the Mets or not, your man signed Montas. That’s the reality. He signed Montas to replace their production. Whether it’s a year or two later, that’s not how you get competitive pitching back. You can’t build a team with just Soto
The premise is that Montas is not the answer. If Verlander and or Scherzer (I say trade one not both) lived out that contract and pitched to ace level, at least it was a deal made for good pitching. The Mets’ pitching staff is flawed this year and Montas is a big reason why. He never should have signed him to be in that rotation with the money he has.
You’re still defending the Montas deal? Whether Verlander is here or not, you replace good pitching with good pitching, not with mop ups.
Man, Deny got eaten up and then just kept digging the hole.
Stearns was hired on October 1, 2023. Max Scherzer was traded on July 30, 2023 and Justin Verlander was traded on August 1, 2023. Stearns was still with Milwaukee when both were moved. Those transactions were initiated by Eppler (or perhaps even Cohen).
Cohen has been with the team since then. That’s who i meant, but let’s see the forest for the trees.
Mets traded away pitching, now they need it. They should’ve kept one of their aces… I questioned the move from the start.
Now they sign Soto and have no pitching. It’s a terrible contract too. Way overpay. I know Cohen has deep pockets but still… Montas is the best they got? Buffoon moves
@ Deny: those pitchers would not be here now, anyway. Their contracts expired last year. Both have spent significant time injured and/or underperforming since then.
Neither of them pitched like an ace for the Mets, nor for anyone else since then. So you’re speaking to a concept, not a reality, that does not apply here.
The reality was they were really good when they were traded.
Another reality is that the Mets’ attempt at replacing them is signing Montas. That’s a worse reality
As others noted, that was a different GM. That said, I’m not convinced Stearns’ low-cost approach to pitching will work in NY. He needs to evolve on that front.
Well he does have four young starters that should be on the roster next year in McLean, Tong, Scott and Sproat. This year he doesn’t need to bring in anyone as a starter.
Given the attrition rate with young pitchers (and old ones, too, but probably especially the young ones), in terms of both health and effectiveness, if they get one and a half solid years out of those four next season, the Mets will be doing great for themselves.
Two TOS surgeries and a UCL in one day that’s a bad day in baseball history for Pitchers. That might be some kind of record even in these times.
Whether or not it’s a different GM, I blame Cohen and this approach to throw money at any player and hope it sticks without a grain of intelligence in the signing.
It was a problem he couldn’t trade they were already traded
But replacing them with Montas is the problem.
Well at least he traded for Helsley.
Frankie replaced, that can only help the Mets
Stearns really screwed the pooch on this one. I think 70% of MLBTR denizens even knew not to touch this guy with a ten foot pole. It makes you wonder about other aspects of his decision making. If the Mets don’t make the playoffs it will leave a stain on Stearns immaculate reputation.
Well, he’s probably done for the year.
He’s probably done as a met
Just move on.
And next. That’s his whole contract
Not going to be upset on this move. Mets would be 10 games up if he was never signed.
he hasn’t even been in ten games this season
That’s how bad he is.
haha
montas will earn a total of $36mil for what could turn out to be just 38 innings of a 6.28 era
sweet baby jesus
Hopefully there’s some insurance on that but he’s def opting in on that player option
And it’s all possible with Cohen’s cash.
Just like with the Gugenheim slush fund over in LA, just because owners have giant windfalls of cash to throw around, it doesn’t mean PBO’s are smart in allocating it. Throw it around willy nilly why don’t ya.
He Ellsbury’d the Mets on a smaller scale.
Very Jew Lowrieesque
I think you meant Jed but it came across a lot worse.
This one has to sting, signing Montas over Severino, I was higher on Montas too this off season in that I thought Severino was the bigger injury risk.
Sevvy isn’t happy where he is, either.
He really did bring that one on himself in the end.
Quintana was the one they should have signed.
Yes, this
Someone previously said I relied on hindsight for saying this guy was terrible.
Well, they’re wrong. I said he was a bad signing the day they made it and it still is.
I didn’t even like the Soto signing either and was hoping the Yankees would burn through their whole payroll to land him.
Out of all the pitchers the Mets could’ve signed, they went after Montas?
Yes, we know you did. As did half the people here.
Just needed to clear my name from any potential homer Mets fans. They thrive in this ecosystem.
PED use paid big time for this guy. Only time he was relevant and teams keep paying him 8 figures to be bad and/or hurt.
So, I wonder how many doctors they had to go to before they found the injury? Not that I’m complaining. It’s the best place from him to be for the team.
I think most Mets fans saw it as a bad signing
Idk if this is the cause of his struggles but certainly has proven that the signing was a failure. With that said, idk if anyone on that “shelf” of pitchers in FA would have been an obvious upgrade. Maybe resigning Severino? Who knows. Could be an addition by subtraction at this point.
Bring up one of the other kids. Why not?
Megill will be back soon with Sproat waiting right behind him.
TJ surgery part deaux…
Overpaid and should have been a one year deal or team option. Now they are stuck with him. Then someone will get him in 2027 for nothing and he’ll have a career year. This is the way of the lolmet.
Washington @Nationals on twitter after taking 2 of 3 from New York in midweek …
“the most important part of lolmets is the two L’s.”
Now THAT has to sting!
They need another starter this week since Senga can’t pitch on 4 days rest. My suggestion is to call up Sproat to pitch tomorrow and push Peterson back a day to start the Phillies series, and then everyone else gets an extra day of rest. They can open up a 40 man spot for Sproat by putting Montas on the 60 day IL, and they can option Brazoban or Garrett down to Syracuse. Then come September 1 they can bring Megill up for long relief.
Except if you bring Megill up on 9/1 he’s not eligible for the postseason.
Very ridiculously wrong, Chucky. That Sept 1 rule only applies to players who have not been on the major league roster at all this year. Megill was on the rsoter. He is on the IL, and is in the minors on a rehab assignment. He will be eligible for the playoffs no matter when they bring him back up.
Who would trust him to pitch anyway?
Why wouldn’t they bring up Sproat and move Holmes to the pen ?
I’d rather take my chances with Sproat than Megill in the PS, and then you can use Holmes in relief in the PS.
Right. Because you already know for a fact that Sproat will be successful the instant he gets called up. And he will maintain that success, even after the league has had six weeks to watch him and figure him out.
I wonder if.. Frankie had the same Agent when he was with the A’s then traded to the Yanks and signed as a FA with the Mets..
He may/may not have known it, but the Agent certainly made the Yanks and Mets feel that Frankie was going to be a .. help.. to their ballclubs.
The Agent should be sought after…
That’s what you get when you shop at Walmart
Walmart has a lot of good items. I have Walmart boots, they are Survivors, $100.00 but they are the same boots as Thorogood makes and they charge $250 for those boots.
Right, he’s already had TJ. Well he’s got guaranteed money for 2026, so he’s taken care of for next year.
Call me pessimistic, but I’m thinkin’ 99.9% chance he Opts in and is out for ’26…
17 mill player option for 2026 yeah he’s going no where lol
Crazy to think that the better money is that Wheeler, Gray and Montas never throw another MLB pitch, crazy day.
Calling Brazobán isn’t something I’m enjoying but I wonder if it’s just for couple of days. I know many Mets fans would love to see Sproat. He just pitched Tuesday. Tong is pitching today (literally right now) in case anyone is wondering.
Owchie.
Jef Lowry of pitchers