NEW YORK -- When Jordan Montgomery rolled up Interstate 95 after Spring Training was suspended, counting the miles to his hometown of Sumter, S.C., the Yankees left-hander thought about the possible diamonds and facilities where he might be able to keep his arm in shape.

A throwing partner could be procured easily enough, but finding someone willing to stand in the batter’s box against a big league pitcher was a tough order to fill. Asked how many batters he faced during the shutdown, Montgomery replied, “Zero.”

“I just did my best to do as many ups and downs as I could and just elongated bullpens,” Montgomery said. “It's weird; arm strength-wise, I feel the best I've felt in a long time. I didn't take any time off during quarantine, so now it's trying to fine-tune my command and the offspeed [pitches], really.”

At Summer Camp, Montgomery has no shortage of teammates searching for plate appearances in order to get ready for Opening Day. He appeared sharp in Thursday’s intrasquad game under the lights at Yankee Stadium, allowing one run over three innings with three strikeouts and one walk.

“It's fun, but you don't want to hit anybody,” Montgomery said. “If you do your mechanics and don't think about it, most of the time you’re going to be around the zone when you're throwing. It's just competitive and you want to go and try your best anytime someone's in there.”

Limited to four big league innings last year as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, the 27-year-old Montgomery seems to be a lock for a spot in the Yankees’ rotation.

“Monty is good to go,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Stuff-wise, really since Spring Training, he came in throwing the ball really well. And we've continued to see that same stuff from the quality of his stuff here in the early going to Summer Camp.”

Luke looking lighter
Luke Voit was on the field early Thursday afternoon, anchoring a foot to the first-base bag and practicing his ability to scoop throws by snatching line drives and grounders drilled at him by bench coach Carlos Mendoza, who swung a fungo bat from the shortstop area.

Voit said that he lost 13 pounds during quarantine, attributing it to a better diet and increased cardio activity. Mendoza said that the weight loss seems to have increased Voit’s agility.

“When we reported here last week, you could see it right away,” Mendoza said. “The past few days, watching him move around first base, he's obviously lighter. He's moving a lot better. He's working on his range, moving side to side. We're seeing the results on the field, and hopefully it translates to the games.”

Rapid fire
Deivi Garcia, the Yankees’ No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, rolled through a 12-pitch inning in Thursday's intrasquad game. The touted right-hander retired Mike Tauchman on a flyout, got Miguel Andújar to ground out to third base and struck out Gary Sánchez swinging.

“He's got a great demeanor and poise about him,” Boone said. “He handles himself with a lot of confidence; I wouldn't say cocky at all, but there's a confidence. You can tell he believes when he steps on the mound that he's very capable. His ability to spin the ball is really impressive.”

Checking in
Jonathan Loaisiga participated in his first workout of Summer Camp on Thursday, as the right-hander's arrival had been delayed due to travel difficulties leaving his home country of Nicaragua.

Loaisiga said that he kept his arm going during the downtime by working out with one of the teams from the Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League, with the Yankees’ blessing.

“Thank God for the opportunity that I had, because it allowed me to stay in shape and keep practicing,” Loaisiga said through an interpreter. “The last game I pitched was on Saturday; I pitched about four innings there. Having the opportunity to participate there and all the training kept me in shape.”

‘Til next year
As the Yankees approach Opening Day of the 2020 season, they can also look forward to the '21 opener. MLB released next year’s schedule on Thursday, with the Yanks set to begin the regular season by hosting the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on April 1.

The most poignant date on the calendar will be Sept. 11, 2021, when the Yankees visit the Mets at Citi Field to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center.

He said it
“I think Gerrit Cole is ahead of everybody.” -- Tauchman, when asked if pitchers seem to be ahead of the hitters

Up next
With inclement weather in the forecast for Friday, the Yankees have canceled plans to hold an intrasquad game at Yankee Stadium and will instead enjoy their first off-day of Summer Camp. Boone said that the players will return to the stadium for a workout on Saturday.