Tanaka To Miss Next Start

Masahiro Tanaka will not make his next scheduled start, which was set to be next Monday. According to Erik Boland and Mark Feinsand, Tanaka's injury is said to be a flexor mass strain. Joe Girardi said it was a "slight, slight, slight" strain.

"I should be able to come back strong (next week) so I’m not really worried"-Mashiro Tanaka

It turns out 'Hiro will rest for another five days before making his last scheduled start of the season. At least we hope it's not his last start. Right?

Dr. Robert G. Najarian, an orthopedic surgeon who works for the Washington Nationals and Redskins describes the injury like this...

The flexor mass can become strained when it is stretched or slightly torn. This type of injury can be acute—that is, a sudden injury that occurs during a single event, such as a baseball pitch gone wrong. Or, it can develop over time through overuse. 

A flexor mass strain isn’t exactly rare, but it’s not a terribly common injury. When we do see it, it’s usually in professional pitchers—a result of the repetitiveness and extreme velocity of their throws.

Source

Based on the fact that Tanaka is not that hard a thrower, I'm guessing this injury is something that's developed over time.

The doctor goes on to say that the injury rarely requires surgery, and is normally treated with rest, anti-inflammatory medications, and rehab. However, he says that recovery time is usually somewhere between 2-8 weeks. Therefore, it's possible that Tanaka's next start will indeed come in 2017.