Frankie Montas aiming to return right after All Star Break

The Oakland A’s and Frankie Montas had as positive a result as possible with his sore shoulder. He was just dealing with inflammation and received a cortisone injection. The hope was that Montas would miss just one start despite landing on the Injured List.

Those plans have somewhat changed. Instead of making that return prior to the All Star Break, Ken Rosenthal tweeted out that Montas will rejoin the A’s rotation in the first game after the festivities.

Frankie Montas looking to return after All Star Break

Making that outing right after the All Star Break would give the A’s plenty of time to showcase Montas for a possible trade. If he makes that start on July 21, he would theoretically have three outings to show that he is healthy and his shoulder is perfectly fine.

That is the biggest key for the A’s. They need to make certain that he is healthy to showcase him as much as possible for any potential suitors. So long as he does not get shelled in those outings, his track record and showing that his shoulder is fine should be enough for the A’s to receive a sizeable return.

If not, the A’s are under no pressure to trade him at the deadline. He still has a year of team control left after this season, allowing for a move to be made in the offseason. The A’s could even get more offers at that point as other teams could feel that they can make a push for the playoffs if they land another top of the rotation caliber arm.

Those plans will all come down to Montas and his shoulder. Teams know what he is – that he typically takes the ball every fifth day and can fire at least six solid innings each time out. His command and strikeout rates are strong. The only question is his shoulder and that could be answered quickly, especially if he has a strong outing on July 21.

Frankie Montas is looking to return to the Oakland A’s rotation after the All Star Break. He has plenty of time to show that he is healthy.