Lou Trivino injury update makes Yankees' Frankie Montas trade a total wash

Good News: The New York Yankees appear closer to receiving a few important pieces back in the coming weeks, including in the bullpen.

Appear! Appear. It appears to be the case. It's far from a guarantee. But Tommy Kahnle is throwing again. Harrison Bader is in Week 2 of a 13-week rehab assignment (give or take). Carlos Rodón's back was barking, but not to the point where structural damage had occurred. Luis Severino is busting bats and taking names. The calvary could really be coming -- no, no, not on offense, though. The offense stinks.

But one player who isn't making progress? Reliever Lou Trivino, otherwise known as the saving grace of last summer's blockbuster Frankie Montas trade.

Trivino was a solid reliever last summer/fall for the Yankees, falling into the fourth or fifth spot on the pecking order. Still, at his peak, he wasn't the type of guy you'd trade two top pitching prospects and an innings-eater for, which is essential what the Yankees did last year (considering Montas arrived as damaged goods and, what do you know, stayed damaged).

Suddenly, though, it feels like Montas might make it back before Trivino, a free agent after the 2024 season. Montas is still targeting an August return after a shoulder cleanup. Trivino? After rehabbing a UCL injury, he's now felt ... more pain than he should've, and will see Yankees team doctor Chris Ahmad.

In the words of Aaron Boone on Monday: "Not good."

Yankees reliever Lou Trivino suffers elbow setback, shutdown

So, just to collect the data, Trivino threw 21.2 innings in the regular season last year for the Yankees, striking out 22 with a 1.66 ERA. He often skirted trouble, and wasn't all the way back to his peak levels, but it was certainly a more-than-passable effort, often in high-leverage opportunities.

This spring, he believed he'd made a breakthrough with his best pitch. Now? Breakdown. Total breakdown.

That two-month stretch last year may very well be the best thing anybody gets from this massive trade. Montas' 39.2 innings of 6.35 ERA ball last year for the Yankees didn't move the needle in the right direction. Ken Waldichuk has a 7.82 ERA in 2023 for an A's team that just became the fastest in baseball history to reach a -100 run differential. JP Sears has a 4.98 ERA in four starts, so that's ... fine. Luis Medina was promoted this week after posting a 3.86 ERA in 9.1 innings at Triple-A Las Vegas, totaling three starts. We'll ... see how that goes.

Wildly enough, Trivino is the one you'd want most right now, and he doesn't seem likely to be available for the rest of the year. So it goes. Wash your hands of this trade -- and the entire 2022 trade deadline, while you're at it.