Joe Girardi announced after the Yankees’ 8-1 win in their home opener Monday that Jordan Montgomery has won the fifth starter battle. The southpaw will make his Major League debut Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays in the Bronx.
Jordan Montgomery has won the fifth starter battle and will start on Wednesday, Girardi says.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) April 10, 2017
The purpose of slating Montgomery Wednesday is to specifically give Masahiro Tanaka and CC Sabathia an extra days rest. Luis Severino, who was scheduled for Wednesday, will be pushed back to Thursday.
Montgomery opened a lot of eyes after a strong Spring Training and thrust himself into the fifth starter conversation. He appeared in six games and allowed seven earned runs in 19.2 innings. Last season, between Double-A and Triple-A, the 24-year-old went 14-5 with a 2.13 ERA in 25 starts. The most notable stat is his strikeout-to-walk ratio. In Spring Training, he struck out 17 while walking only four and in the minors last season, he struck out 134 while walking 45.
To make room for Montgomery, the team has optioned Chasen Shreve to Triple-A.
