The New York Yankees are being cautious with ace starting
pitcher Masahiro Tanaka as he attempts to rehab a less than 10% tear of his
ulnar collateral ligament in his right throwing elbow. Tanaka threw a simulated
game against Instructional League batters this week as what was thought to be
the final step before returning to the mound in the Bronx. If the Yankees play
their cards right with Tanaka they could conceivably get two starts out of the
25 year old before the season is over.
The Yankees want to evaluate Tanaka now rather than in the
offseason so they can either go ahead with his Tommy John surgery or not. If
Tanaka gets on the mound now and finds out he needs the surgery the team saves
four or five months of rehab and recovery time. If New York finds out he needs
the surgery either in Spring Training or during the season they are looking at
even more lost time for Tanaka. With the contract that is associated with
Tanaka it is imperative to get him on the mound as soon as possible either way.
Tanaka threw Monday and the Yankees stated they wanted to
give him a day or two of extra rest if possible so conceivably Tanaka would not
throw before Saturday or Sunday. The Yankees could welcome back Tanaka against
the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend in the stadium and he could also pitch on
the final day of the season in Boston and Fenway Park.
If Tanaka cannot make either of those starts it is under the
knife he goes so keep your fingers crossed that everything goes well. If Tanaka
can make his two starts he will rest for the rest of the winter, he will not
attend any sort of Winter Ball or league, and will be ready in Spring Training
2015. Fingers crossed.
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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)