Masahiro Tanaka Injury: Updates on Yankees Star’s Elbow and Recovery
February 19, 2015 · Adam Wells · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Masahiro Tanaka’s elbow was a problem last season that has kept the New York Yankees on edge all offseason. The right-hander has reported to spring training in Florida and is poised to start throwing off a mound soon.
According to Brendan Kuty of NJ.com, citing a report from The Associated Press, Tanaka is “likely” to throw his first bullpen session Thursday. Pitching coach Larry Rothschild says in the report the Yankees aren’t going to rush him along:
We’ll bring him along as his arm will dictate. I’m not going to push it. As things crop up, if we need to deal with them we will. Right now, I’m just looking at him as a guy that we’re going to bring along according to how his arm will allow us. I’m approaching it that he’s a healthy pitcher that we just need to be aware of what the history is there.
After the session, Kuty reported that it was a success:
Tanaka threw 21 pitches off a mound, mixing fastballs and breaking balls. He didn’t seem to be throwing at maximum effort, typical for this time of year. It was unclear if he threw his vaunted splitter. He also threw lightly before the session and ran afterward.
On Friday, Feb. 20, Jack Curry of YES Network had Tanaka’s thoughts on his elbow:
Tanaka’s right elbow is one of the key stories to watch this season. Last July, the Yankees right-hander was diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament. That’s the ligament that requires Tommy John surgery when it goes.
Bob Klapisch of The Record wrote in September that Tanaka’s right elbow is basically a ticking time bomb. The good news is he had a full offseason to rehab the injury and seems ready to begin the 2015 season on a high note.
The Yankees certainly need Tanaka to put together a strong second season if they want to have any hopes of making the postseason. The rest of the rotation also features injury-prone stars like Michael Pineda and the aging CC Sabathia, so the 26-year-old Tanaka is the most important arm of the bunch.
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