New York Yankees’ Masahiro Tanaka diagnosed with partially torn ligament, could need Tommy John surgery

By Jack Crosby | Jul 10, 2014

Jul 8, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (19) pitches during the second inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

After making headlines this baseball offseason by signing one of the most lucrative contracts in the game of baseball, stud pitcher Masahiro Tanaka burst on to the scene for the New York Yankees and was everything the organization and fan base had hoped for, and then some. He was virtually unstoppable–well that was until recently when he placed on the 15-day DL with an elbow injury.

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Tanaka recently had the elbow checked out, and the results are definitely less than favorable as he has been diagnosed with a partially torn ligament in the elbow, and the recovery time is to be up to six weeks.

But what’s worse is that should the rehab process fail, he will be required to undergo Tommy John surgery, which will then definitely leave him out for a year.

Masahiro Tanaka diagnosed w/ partially torn ligament in throwing arm. Rehab would take 6 weeks, Tommy John surgery possible if rehab fails.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 11, 2014

Now again, the dreaded Tommy John diagnosis is only in the event that the rehab from this torn ligament doesn’t go as scheduled, so there still is time to hope for the best.

Even with the near half season that he has played here in the United States, Tanaka was a legitimate candidate to not only win the Rookie of the Year Award, but take home the Cy Young.

Also with this news, now you have to wonder whether or not Brian Cashman and the Yankees’ brass will pull the trigger on a trade before the July 31 deadline for one of the top pitchers on the market, such as a David Price or Cole Hamels.