It’s merely a procedural move as Montgomery is set to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery. The 32-year-old southpaw will likely miss a significant portion of the 2026 season as well. He’ll be a free agent at the conclusion of the year.

A brutal offseason for Montgomery just gets worse. The 32-year-old signed late in the off-season last year and struggled in his first year in Arizona, pitching to a 6.23 ERA in 117 innings between the bullpen and the rotation. He pitched poorly this spring and had been the subject of trade rumors, but was set to serve as the long reliever in Arizona to start the season. It appears that Ryne Nelson will now have a chance to take that role and act as the sixth starter for the Diamondbacks’ rotation. Montgomery will miss the entire 2025 season and could return over the summer in 2026. However, he will be a free agent this offseason, so where he ends up is anybody’s guess.

Montgomery, 32, is coming off a disastrous first — and potentially only — season with the Diamondbacks, but the left-hander has had plenty of success in this league, so it’s not a huge surprise there’s trade interest. Arizona would likely have to eat salary in a potential deal, but since there’s a good chance he won’t be in the rotation to begin the season, there’ll likely be motivation from the D-Backs to make something happen.

Montgomery scattered three hits and only issued one walk. The 32-year-old veteran left-hander appears to be auditioning for other teams at this juncture of spring training since there isn’t a path to a rotation spot with the Diamondbacks, unless they’re going to roll with six starters. He’ll presumably operate in long relief for Arizona, if he isn’t dealt to another club in need of extra rotation depth.