The Diamondbacks are kicking Jordan Montgomery in the barn. Manager Torey Lovullo announced the decision on The Burns & Gambo Show this afternoon (link via Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports).
Lovullo said he informed Montgomery of the decision today. That's right Ryne Nelson released Montgomery in recent weeks, earning a fifth starting job in the process. Nelson, on the mound tonight at Fenway Park, carried an ERA approaching 5.00 at the All-Star Break. He absolutely nailed the script last month, posting a 2.89 ERA while striking out 29% of opposing batters in 37 1/3 frames. Nelson is left behind Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez again Brandon Pfaadt at the beginning of the fifth.
Montgomery, on the other hand, has struggled all season. He owns a 6.44 ERA with a below-average 15.5% strikeout rate over 19 starts. Montgomery started the year late after not signing until Opening Day. In contrast Blake Snellwho got off to a rough start as a late signee before resuming his Cy Young form, Montgomery found little success as the year went on. He is allowing 6.44 runs per nine in the first and second innings. Opponents are hitting over .300 while slugging north of .500.
Montgomery averaged about 92 MPH on his sinker and four-seam fastball. Both stadiums sat above 93 a year ago. Aside from a nice 11.9% strikeout rate that matches his career average, there's little in this year's statistical profile that gives much hope for a turnaround. Montgomery had an excellent record coming into this season, but the D-Backs have five starting players who are improving as they fight for a playoff spot. They are four games back of the Dodgers in the NL West and hold a five-game edge in the Wild Card spot.
This will be Montgomery's first bullpen assignment of his career. He started 159 of 160 MLB games. The first relief appearance was in September 2019 when he returned from Tommy John surgery without receiving a minor league rehab assignment. He will likely serve as a multi-inning reliever. If the D-Backs make the playoffs, Lovullo and his staff may have a tough decision to make on whether to put him on the postseason roster at all.
That would have been difficult to understand a few months ago. Arizona signed Montgomery as the expected top rotation center when Rodriguez suffered a lat strain in camp. He is playing for a salary of $25MM. He started 10 games and activated a $20MM player option for next year. That increases to $22.5MM when he makes his 18th start; he would have pushed it to $25MM if he reached 23 starts, although that no longer seems likely. Either way, he'll likely exercise the option rather than return to free agency next winter.
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