Yankees outline plan for Jordan Montgomery
Embed from Getty Images After making 21 starts for the Yankees this season, Jordan Montgomery was optioned to Triple-A following his last outing on Aug. 5. With the acquisitions of both Sonny Gray and Jaime Garcia, many people around the sport figured the Yankees had an innings limit on their 24-year-old left-hander. Montgomery posted a 7-6 record with a 4.05 ERA in his 115.2 big league innings this season, and leads all rookies with 111 strikeouts. On Tuesday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network provided some clarity as to how the Yankees plan to use Montgomery moving forward.
Jordan Montgomery will continue to start in minors, but on 7 days' rest and with reduced innings in his next outing. #Yankees @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) August 8, 2017
For the time being, the organization's plan is for Montgomery to continue starting games in the minor leagues. However, the left-hander will make his regular starts on seven days' rest, as opposed to regular five days' rest. He will also face a reduced innings limit for his next start. The plan makes sense for the Yankees, as they want Montgomery to continue starting, but also want to limit his workload down the stretch. The organization doesn't want to overuse one of their top prospects, and can manage his workload better through this new strategy. To replace Montgomery on the big league roster, the Yankees have called up Bryan Mitchell from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre.
Roster Move: Prior to tonight's game, the Yankees recalled RHP Bryan Mitchell from @swbrailriders.
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) August 8, 2017
Mitchell will serve as a long-reliever for the Yankees bullpen moving forward. In 13 appearances with the big league club this season, the 26-year-old is 1-1 with a 4.29 ERA. As a starter in the minor leagues, Mitchell is prepared to throw multiple innings if needed. The right-hander could be a valuable weapon for manager Joe Girardi if the right situation presents itself. The Bronx Bombers open up a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays tonight at the Rogers Centre. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. EST.