Yankees place Jordan Montgomery on DL with left flexor strain

The Yankees have placed left-hander Jordan Montgomery on the 10-day DL with a left flexor strain in his elbow. The second-year starter is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks according to Sweeny Murti of WFAN.

Montgomery left last night’s start in Houston after just one inning of work due to tightness in his elbow, and he has since been diagnosed with a left flexor strain. He is expected to be on a six-to-eight week timetable to return as he will not throw for at least two weeks. Montgomery, 25, is coming off a solid rookie season where he finished sixth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, and he was off to a solid 2-0 start with a 3.62 ERA with a 1.35 WHIP.

Though this is a big blow to the Yankees rotation, it may not have been the worst-case scenario. Many may have thought that Montgomery was dealing with a UCL injury initially when he left the game without much information. In the mean time, the Yankees have recalled right-hander David Hale, who is likely a temporary filler in the rotation. The Yankees also have highly touted prospects Chance Adams and Justus Sheffield that they could eventually turn to if Hale is unsuccessful.

To open up a spot on the 40-man roster for Hale, the Yankees transferred Jacoby Ellsbury to the 60-day DL. As for Ellsbury, the high-paid outfielder is eligible to return to the roster in late May, though there is no timetable for when he will be back.