The Arizona Diamondbacks will move veteran pitcher Jordan Montgomery to the bullpen to keep Ryne Nelson in the starting lineup, manager Torey Lovullo said Burns & Gambo by Arizona Sports on Friday.
Lovullo said he sat down with Montgomery to discuss his role change after the left-hander allowed six earned runs to the Miami Marlins in a 10-8 win on Wednesday.
Nelson will start on Friday against the Boston Red Sox and has earned his place in the rotation behind Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez.
“This was the hardest decision I’ve had to make since becoming manager here,” Lovullo said.
“Jordan Montgomery’s reputation obviously spoke for itself when we signed him. He’s won a world championship and had some good moments. But with 34-35 games left in the season, I have to make these difficult decisions in the best interest of this team. As difficult as it was, I felt he accepted it. He wasn’t happy with the decision. He’s going to go into the bullpen and help us win games there.”
The Diamondbacks have made it clear they don’t want a six-man rotation, but have put the issue off by cycling it. Nelson has been available out of the bullpen if needed in Montgomery’s last two starts, but the D-backs have kept him in the starting lineup for the next game.
The D-backs had an off day on Thursday and another is scheduled for Monday, so a six-man unit would extend the time between starts for the rest of the rotation.
Why did the Diamondbacks sign Jordan Montgomery?
Montgomery officially signed with the Diamondbacks shortly after Opening Day to bolster the rotation after Rodriguez suffered a shoulder injury. Montgomery had a great 2023 season, posting a 3.20 ERA in 32 starts for the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers, followed by a fantastic postseason run (2.90 ERA in 31 innings) that helped the Rangers win their first World Series.
The Diamondbacks took advantage of a golden opportunity to sign Montgomery, one of several Scott Boras clients who waited until late in the offseason to sign, signing for $25 million with a player option for next year that currently stands at $22.5 million.
The 31-year-old needed more than two weeks to get in shape without spring training. His early results were promising, with two good starts to begin his tenure in Arizona. Since the beginning of May, however, Montgomery has posted a 7.02 ERA (4.76 FIP) in 17 starts, of which the D-backs miraculously won 11. He has averaged 6.47 runs of offensive support this year.
“I just told him, ‘Look, I have to make these decisions based on performance,'” Lovullo said. “If it was April, we might have had a different conversation, but right now Nelly is throwing the ball as well as anybody and I have to make that decision. He got it. We have a lot of really good teachers on this coaching staff in that regard. So it’s up to them to find a way to say the right things, push the right buttons and kind of reprogram him to get ready in seven to 10 minutes instead of 35 minutes, which is his normal pregame routine.”
Montgomery has made one regular-season relief pitcher appearance in his MLB career since 2017. Last October, he successfully served as a relief pitcher in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Houston Astros, giving Texas 2.1 scoreless innings after a three-day rest.
Ryne Nelson secures a place in the rotation
While Montgomery struggled to limit runs and spent 15 days on the injured list due to knee inflammation, Nelson has completed an important phase for Arizona’s team.
Since the beginning of July, Nelson ranks fourth among MLB pitchers with a fWAR of 1.7, behind NL Cy Young favorite Chris Sale, Blake Snell and Framber Valdez. He leads the D-backs with an ERA of 2.73 and ranks 14th in the league over the same period.
And the D-backs entered Friday with a 7-2 record in Nelson’s last nine games, the most consistent stretch of Nelson’s MLB career.
“A lot of fastball carry, a lot of fastball-fastball speed and he knows where the ball is going,” Lovullo said. “He’s getting it on the edges and the top post, the secondary stuff is coming along really well and the cutter and slider are both big throws. A lot of talent, a lot of growth and learning over the last 15-20 starts on how to throw those throws effectively and when to throw them. So it’s all coming together. And with pitchers, it’s fast.”
Nelson, 26, was inserted into the rotation after Rodriguez was injured and Montgomery stepped up, and has overcome so many injuries. He and Pfaadt were the two mainstays.
The right-hander has cited changes to calm his body for more control and mental adjustments for more balance between starts as keys to his improvement.
