Tanaka Could Make a Return Before Season Ends
Even as the Yankees season has dwindled to its final few weeks and the postseason has become a remote hope, Masahiro Tanaka is racing to return before it all ends, if only to show that he can.
Tanaka was back on the mound Tuesday and threw 45 pitches, Joe Girardi said, in his first simulated game since being shutdown with general arm soreness nearly two weeks ago. Tanaka could pitch in a real game in about 10 to 14 days.
If all is well, he will throw an additional simulated game in about five days to increase his pitch count. He could then be recalled from the 60-day disabled list to pitch in a game another five days or so after that.
'I think that's possible to look at, yeah,' Girardi said.
Even though the Yankees are still mathematically alive for a postseason bid, Tanaka's quest to return this season is more about determining whether he will be available in 2015.
'Our hope is that he gets through this and that he's a pitcher for us next year,' Girardi said. 'But that doesn't mean something couldn't arise down the road.'
The Yankees went into Tuesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays trailing the Seattle Mariners by five games for the A.L.'s second wild card, with the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Indians still ahead of them.
Tanaka is trying to avoid surgery as he comes back from a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. If at any point during the rehabilitation he feels more pain in the elbow, it would almost certainly mean surgery, which would cause him to miss about one year.
Even though the Yankees have a low probability of making the playoffs, they still want Tanaka to pitch in a game. They must find out if his elbow can withstand the strain. If it cannot, the sooner they know the better so surgery can be scheduled and the rehabilitation process can begin.
'If he feels it, he's going to end up grabbing his arm and you're going to know right away,' Girardi said.
But Tanaka said his arm felt fine after Tuesday afternoon's session against Yankee hitters. He also said that he was ready to pitch in a game once he improves his arm strength.
Girardi said Tanaka looked much better Tuesday than he did in his previous simulated game in Detroit on Aug. 28. The day after that session Tanaka complained of arm soreness and was shut down, setting back his schedule by almost two weeks. That is why Wednesday could be a key day for Tanaka, to see if the soreness returns.
'I'm not overly worried,' he said through his interpreter. 'I'm a bit concerned, just because of what happened in Detroit. But when I was throwing, it was a different feel in Detroit versus how it felt today.'
The Yankees committed $175 million over seven years to sign him and he was an instant success, going 12-4 with a 2.51 earned run average in his first 18 starts. But he has not pitched for them since July 8.
If Tanaka does come back this year, he will probably only be able to make two starts. It likely will not be enough to impact the Yankees' faint playoff chase. But it may be critical to determining whether he will have to have surgery.
Also, Girardi said he thought that if Tanaka could pitch in one or two games without pain it would do a lot for the pitcher's outlook going into the off-season.
'I think he wants to go home and feel like he's going to have a normal off-season and he's going to be healthy and come back,' Girardi said. 'I do believe it's important to him.'
Post a Comment for "Tanaka Could Make a Return Before Season Ends"