HOUSTON — There is never a good time for a starting pitcher to be diagnosed with a flexor strain in his throwing forearm.
That was what Jordan Montgomery was told Wednesday, and it could keep him away from a big-league mound for six to eight weeks. He won’t even pick up a ball for three weeks.
That news is quite a blow to the Yankees’ starting rotation that has played a colossal part in the team winning 10 of 11 going into Wednesday night’s game against the Astros at Minute Maid Park.
What makes it worse is the Yankees don’t have a stud pitching prospect ready to ascend from the minors to majors. And because it is early May, it’s highly unlikely a team, even a bad one, is willing to begin dealing starting pitching. Eventually, the Royals will look to move Ian Kennedy, the Rangers will listen on Cole Hamels and the Reds’ Homer Bailey will be mentioned.
So the Yankees will initially turn to Domingo German to take Montgomery’s place in the rotation beginning Sunday against the Indians at Yankee Stadium. It will be the 25-year-old German’s 13th big-league game and first start.
“We felt really good going into the year that German and [Luis] Cessa would be a big part of our depth as starters and relievers,’’ manager Aaron Boone said. Cessa has been on the disabled list since April 19 with a left oblique strain. “I think in the short term [German] will be the guy and someone we feel really good about. But there is also value in the role he was in [Tuesday] night.’’
That’s when German tossed four scoreless innings after Montgomery didn’t come out for the second inning of an eventual 4-0 Yankees victory over the Astros.
Boone understood Dr. Chris Ahmad’s diagnosis on Montgomery could have been better, but it also could have been worse.
“Not great news but not the worst case,’’ Boone said of Montgomery, who is 2-0 with a 3.62 ERA in six starts. “Hopefully we get him back in the second half.’’
There have been times when a flexor problem leads to Tommy John surgery, but Boone was confident that isn’t what the Yankees are looking at.
“This could be a precursor to anything, but there is nothing that would suggest that at this time,’’ Boone said. “It’s a strain of the flexor and pretty straightforward and clear of what it is. It’s a three-week shutdown.’’
If the Yankees are looking for the bright side to Montgomery’s situation, they can turn to Masahiro Tanaka. After opting not to have Tommy John surgery for a small tear in his right ulnar collateral ligament in 2014, Tanaka was diagnosed with a strained right forearm and wrist tendinitis in 2015 that didn’t lead to surgery.
While the Yankees system has produced high-end talent such as Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres, Miguel Andujar and Greg Bird — with Estevan Florial and Thairo Estrada still working their way through the minors — they aren’t anywhere near that deep in starting pitching.
Justus Sheffield is the top pitching prospect and he is at Double-A Trenton.
German was acquired from the Marlins with Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Jones on Dec. 19, 2014, for David Phelps and Martin Prado. He didn’t pitch at all in 2015 due to Tommy John surgery.
Having thrown 61 pitches on Tuesday when he went four innings, German should be able to increase that against the Indians. Armed with a fastball that reaches 96 mph and a tantalizing changeup, all four of German’s strikeouts Tuesday came on curveballs.
Reliever David Hale was signed to a big-league contract Wednesday and added to the 25-man roster.
Boone is correct in saying the news on Montgomery could have been worse. Yet, that doesn’t make it any easier to replace the second-year lefty, who played a big part in the Yankees’ starters posting quality starts in eight of their previous 11 games and allowing one or fewer runs in seven of the last 11 games, in which they went 6-1 with a 2.17 ERA.