MESA, Ariz. — Colson Montgomery got a chance to test his range right away Sunday when Cleveland Guardians leadoff batter Steven Kwan hit a popup in the shortstop’s direction at Goodyear Ballpark.
“(The ball) finds you,” Montgomery said with a smile afterward. “Right into the sun, too. But it was good.”
Montgomery made the catch, which was part of an active day in the field and at the plate in his return after missing time with back spasms.
“We did a really good job of ramping up with back-field games and live at-bats,” he said.
Montgomery went 0-for-2. But most importantly, manager Will Venable said he came away “feeling good” after playing 4 1/2 innings in Goodyear, Ariz.
“I thought he was moving around great,” Venable said Monday morning at Camelback Ranch. “Some really good swings, a couple nice plays. So, good to see him come out of it well.”
It was Montgomery’s first Cactus League game since Feb. 25. He was scratched before a Feb. 27 contest with the back spasms.
“I still knew there was plenty of time and I didn’t need to really rush out there,” Montgomery said of the recovery process. “But, I felt good so I was going to go with what my body was telling me. I’ve played with this stuff before and it usually doesn’t linger too long. And this one didn’t really linger that long, either.”
Montgomery is competing for a roster spot. Jacob Amaya, Brooks Baldwin, Chase Meidroth and Josh Rojas are also among the shortstop options. Amaya — who has made a team-high nine appearances at the position this spring — left Monday’s 10-3 victory against the Athletics at Hohokam Stadium in the second inning with left hip tightness.
Venable doesn’t think the time out of the lineup hinders Montgomery’s pursuit.
“There’s been a lot of stuff here that we’ve evaluated,” Venable said. “And we’ll consider it all as we make these decisions. But that time off is not going to be critical for him. Most important thing is just that he’s healthy.”
The 2021 first-round selection is doing what he can with health in mind.
“I’ve got to take care of my body with whatever it may be, hydration, nutrition,” Montgomery said. “And also after the games, getting treatment, things like that. So that’s one thing Venable really emphasizes to everybody is to just take care of our bodies.”
Montgomery is 1-for-9 with one home run and two RBIs in his four spring games. He’s played sharp defense, as general manager Chris Getz recently noted.
“That kind of goes into the early work that me and (infield coach Justin Jirschele) do just to get ready, get my hands locked in, get my feet locked in,” Montgomery said. “Just be mentally prepared, because that’s one of the biggest things. I feel like I can do a lot of things physically, but a lot of errors are routine plays, mental mistakes. So that’s really what I’m trying to improve on and just keep building on, is just being mentally prepared for every pitch.
“That’s great to hear that from our GM. And it’s really cool just to hear that too, because he played, too. I just feel natural out there. And I don’t really feel like I’m pressing too much. I’m not really being too eager. I’m just kind of letting the game dictate whatever, and I’m just kind of going with the flow.”
Sean Burke displayed ‘sharp’ breaking stuff in his latest outing
Starter Sean Burke felt that in his previous outings “some stuff is good, some stuff I need to work.”
It all clicked in a minor-league game Sunday, where Burke allowed one hit and struck out four in three scoreless innings.
“It was probably the best I’ve felt all spring in terms of just having the feel and the shapes of all the pitches I wanted,” Burke told the Tribune on Monday. “I felt like everything was around the zone — even my misses were competitive misses.”
Burke — who has a 3.60 ERA in two Cactus League starts — continues to build up for the regular season.
“I hadn’t really felt as sharp with my breaking stuff out here,” Burke said. “But then (Sunday), my breaking stuff felt all sharp. So now that I kind of have that feeling, if I’m off or something feels a little bit out of sync, I’ll be able to watch video, think back to what the feel was like.”
Prelander Berroa leans on teammates with Tommy John surgery ahead
Reliever Prelander Berroa is leaning on his teammates after finding out he will have to undergo Tommy John surgery.
“It helps having guys here around you who have been through that process before,” Berroa said through an interpreter on Monday. “I’ve been asking questions about how it is, what is the process and they have been telling me it is a little hard at the beginning but it gets better and better, but for the most part that it feels good when you begin to throw again because it feels like you have a new arm.”
Berroa exited the Feb. 22 Cactus League opener against the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park with an elbow injury. On Friday, the Sox announced he would have to undergo Tommy John surgery.
“I felt sad,” Berroa said. “Because I knew I would miss this year. But I know that with God’s grace, I will come back next year and be able to do my job.”
