<p>Montas’ return from injuries failed to deliver as a true ace, reinforcing the Mets’ uphill battle to find a reliable rotation centerpiece and mirroring the overall run-prevention gap.</p>

Montas’ late-season decline and elbow surgery cast a shadow over his Mets tenure, turning him from potential trade-deadline asset into a cautionary tale for fantasy managers weighing durability and bounce-back potential.

Montas is also sidelined by Tommy John, intensifying the rotation depth challenge for 2025-26 and forcing reliance on internal options and bullpen arms as the Mets retool for an uncertain horizon.

Montas is the key thread in this story, facing elbow surgery with Tommy John a real possibility. His results with the Mets were modest through nine appearances (seven starts), totaling 38 2/3 innings and a 6.28 ERA, highlighting the high-risk, high-reward nature of the Mets' late-season gamble.

Montas' elbow injury ends his season and casts doubt on the 2025 rotation plan, despite a two-year, $34 million deal. His return to form has been hampered by prior shoulder issues and a spring lat strain; the Mets moved him to long relief as they balanced injury fallout with reclamation-arm strategy.