Past Red Sox Pitching Target Handed Demotion By NL Contender

The Boston Red Sox were linked to left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery throughout multiple points this past offseason before the Arizona Diamondbacks landed him on a one-year, $25 million contract.

Montgomery, fresh off a 32-start, World Series-winning campaign that began with the St. Louis Cardinals and ended with the Texas Rangers, has undergone a shocking decline in production. The 31-year-old's 3.20 ERA in 2023 has ballooned into a 6.44 ERA through Montgomery's first 19 starts in a Diamondbacks uniform, prompting the team to pull an unforeseen trigger ahead of Friday night's series opener with the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Arizona removed Montgomery from the starting rotation and moved the eight-year veteran to the bullpen, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo announced, per MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. Lovullo referred to the "tough" decision as one of the most difficult the 59-year-old has had to make since taking over at the helm in Arizona.

"Jordan Montgomery's reputation obviously spoke for itself when we signed him," Lovullo explained to Arizona Sports' "Burns & Gambo" on Friday. "He won a world championship, and he's had some good moments. But with 34, 35 games left in the season, I have to make these tough decisions in the best interest of this team. So as difficult as it was, I felt like he accepted it. He didn't love the decision. He's going to go to the bullpen and help us win games there."

Montgomery's season-long struggles weren't left behind in the first half once the Diamondbacks returned from the MLB All-Star break. He's surrendered a combined 14 earned runs through the last four trips to the mound (20 1/3 innings), failing to surpass six innings on the mound. Montgomery's second-half 2-1 record with a 6.44 ERA, too, poses a major concern for the Diamondbacks, who last season fell short to Montgomery and the Rangers in the World Series, and are poised for another run this go-around.

Arizona's 72-56 record places the team second in the National League West standings, and first in the wild card race.