Masahiro Tanaka will face hitters, could return in September
By Hayden Kane
With each passing day it looks more and more likely that the New York Yankees are going to be buried by the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. They will hence be left to battle for a wild card spot, though with teams like the Detroit Tigers, Oakland Athletics, and the Seattle Mariners lingering, that is no easy task either.
More from MLB
- Braves get dose of bad news on Max Fried as ace nears return
- Shohei Ohtani trade rumors live tracker: Every update so far
- MLB Rumors: Yankees mistake, Cardinals trade package, Cubs choice
- Inside the Clubhouse: What I’m hearing ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline
- After frantic trade day, Kiké Hernandez grateful for second chance with Dodgers
If the Yankees were able to creep into the playoff race with a hot streak of some sort, drastic though that series of events would be, they still hold a potential ace up their sleeve. Masahiro Tanaka continues to make progress as he works his way back from a partial tear to the UCL in his elbow.
According to Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com, Tanaka says his elbow is fine.
"“I feel that I’ve gotten the health to the point where the elbow is fine now,” Tanaka said.Tanaka threw 35 pitches on Wednesday, including five splitters. Although, he described his breaking pitches as “rusty,” Tanaka is feeling good enough that his next step will be throwing batting practice."
The next steps are significant ones for Tanaka, as he will face hitters and continue to try and sharpen his stuff for big league action. If things continue to go well, and if the Yankees have a reason to bring him back, Tanaka might be available in the last few weeks of the season. Also from Marchand:
"Girardi did not know what time the session would take place or which hitters Tanaka would face — or, in fact, if it would even take place at the ballpark, although that seems likely — but the fact that Tanaka has been cleared to throw to hitters is a positive sign that he might be able to pitch in a few games sometime in September."
It sounds more and more likely that Tanaka might return for some regular season action this season. All that will be left to determine, then, is whether those appearances are for a playoff run or tuneups for 2015.