Mets' Frankie Montas to miss significant chunk of season with lat strain
New York Mets pitcher Frankie Montas during a spring training workout in Port St. Lucie, Florida, on Feb. 14, 2025. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Oft-injured righthander Frankie Montas is injured again, and it will cost him a significant swath of the 2025 schedule.
Montas suffered a high-grade strain of his right lat, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza revealed Monday, sidelining the offseason addition indefinitely and creating another opening in the rotation.
Mendoza said Montas will be shut down from throwing for six to eight weeks, then will need a full spring training-style upgrade. Altogether, Montas is in line to miss at least the first quarter of the season and likely longer.
“We know in order for us to get through 162-plus [games], we’re going to need eight to 10 [starting pitchers],” Mendoza said. “Here we are. It’s nothing new for us. Guys will step up, guys will get opportunities. But we feel good. We feel good with the options that we have.”
According to Mendoza, Montas flew to New York City to receive a platelet-rich plasma injection, which is a common treatment for soft-tissue injuries, particularly severe ones.
Without Montas, the trio of Griffin Canning, Paul Blackburn and Tylor Megill will be competing for two starting spots instead of one. Blackburn is a tad behind the rest of the starters because of offseason back surgery, but Mendoza reiterated Monday that the Mets expect him to be ready for Opening Day.
The Mets still intend to use a six-man rotation, Mendoza said. Without Montas, four spots are locked up: Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes and David Peterson.
Montas, who will turn 32 next month, signed a two-year, $34 million contract in December. He had a 4.84 ERA and 1.37 WHIP with the Reds and Brewers last season. Across about a decade in the majors, he has missed time with rib, oblique, forearm and shoulder issues. The last of those cost him nearly the entire 2023 season with the Yankees.
Extra bases
Delayed by visa issues, Mexican first baseman Joey Meneses is the only player of 67 not to report to camp yet. Mendoza said he expects him Tuesday on a tourist visa, which will allow him to work out with the team. He won’t be able to play games until he gets his work permit . . . Mendoza on his speech to the team before the first full-squad workout: “We’re here to win a championship and we gotta believe that. But we also gotta believe that we got work to do. We still got a long ways to go. There’s a lot of good teams out there. We gotta be able to become a great team.” . . . Team owner Steve Cohen observed the first-string portion of the workout, his first visit to camp. He is due to speak to reporters on Tuesday.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
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