Two former Yankees, well-known for being top-caliber players, have met with contrasting fates this season. Harrison Bader, the Gold Glove center fielder and the Bronx native, who the team dumped in August last week won’t be playing again this season. On the other hand, Jordan Montgomery, who the New York Yankees traded for Bader is flourishing in Texas.
According to a report by Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer, Bader, who joined the Red on August 31, has decided to forego the initial plan for rehab and has chosen to undergo surgery for his sports hernia.
Reds manager David Bell explained that when the former Yankees player was put on the IL, the aim was to have him prepared for the final weekend of the regular season and the playoffs, or as soon as he could return. However, the player had set his own goal to get himself in shape and evaluate the situation. Unfortunately, he has determined that he’s unable to achieve that goal due to his injury.
Bader was placed on the injured list on Monday due to a groin strain, and it seems to be a significant injury. It’s serious enough that he won’t be able to play for the rest of this season, even if the Reds manage to make it to the playoffs. In the 14 games he played with Cincinnati after being picked up from the Yankees via waivers, he had a low .429 OPS. This means that when he enters free agency, his performance for this season will show that he had a batting average of just .232, an on-base percentage of .274, and a slugging percentage of .348 in the final year of his contract.
Ex-Yankees pitcher Jordan Montgomery on a roll
In the meantime, Jordan Montgomery, the player whom the Yankees traded for Bader, is doing exceptionally well in Texas. Over his last 42 starts, he has an ERA (Earned Run Average) of 3.22 and a WHIP of 1.17 across 42 games, which is significantly better than almost everyone on the Yankees’ pitching staff. In his most recent performances, which include 21 innings pitched, just one earned run allowed, and 17 strikeouts in three starts, Montgomery has played a crucial role in helping the Rangers avoid a potentially disastrous collapse in their playoff race.
Although the former Yankees LHP faced difficulties in his three games before this, he has managed to produce seven quality starts in his ten appearances with the Texas team. Importantly, all of these quality starts have had significant implications for the postseason race, especially after the losses of star pitchers Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer.
A pitching battle took place at Globe Life Field on Saturday night, and Montgomery and the Rangers (with a record of 86 wins and 68 losses) emerged victorious with a 2-0 win against the Mariners (with a record of 84 wins and 70 losses), securing the series win. Currently, Texas holds a 1 1/2 game lead in the AL West over the Astros (with a record of 85 wins and 70 losses) and is two games ahead of Seattle in the division standings.
The former Yankees pitcher completed his third straight seven-inning start, which prevented the Mariners from scoring, and gave up only five hits and two walks. In his last three games, he has allowed just one run in a total of 21 innings.
Montgomery has been performing exceptionally well since joining the Rangers after the trade deadline, with a 2.92 ERA in 10 starts. However, his recent performances over the past three weeks have demonstrated precisely why Texas made the decision to acquire him in the first place.
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