Frankie Montas lands on injured list with bruised forearm

A blow to the Reds rotation.

Frankie Montas fielded the ball that smashed into his right forearm and, while wincing, chucked it to 1B to retire Taylor Ward in Sunday afternoon’s series finale against the Los Angeles Angels.

It was just the third batter of the day for Montas, the 2024 Opening Day starter for the Cincinnati Reds. It would also be his final batter, as he exited after said comebacker with what was ultimately deemed a bruised forearm.

He dodged further damage, per the x-rays taken immediately after the play, but he’s still going to be forced to miss time. That was confirmed on Monday afternoon when the Reds placed Montas on the 15-day IL with said contusion.

While the Reds have been ravaged by injuries so far this season, they’ve at least baked in a decent amount of depth when it comes to their starting rotation. After welcoming back Nick Lodolo a week and a half ago, the uber-versatile Nick Martinez had moved back into a relief role, but it now appears he’ll transition back into the rotation when what had been Montas’ turn comes around. Casey Legumina, meanwhile, has been added to the bullpen mix for the time being.

It’s a blow, but one that probably is a sigh of relief in the bigger picture. Montas obviously avoided a much more serious injury, and given how little he pitched in 2023 while working back from shoulder surgery it was nearly impossible to envision him getting ~33 starts and pushing 200 IP in any scenario. Hell, that’s why the Reds built-in so much starting pitching depth in the first place.

Get well soon, Frankie.