New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka will be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a pair of injuries in his throwing arm, according to a team announcement.
Masahiro Tanaka out ‘at least a month’ with forearm strain
Tanaka, a top-flight pitcher when healthy, will miss significant time for the second consecutive season.
Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Tanaka is dealing with a strained forearm and wrist tendinitis, the combination of which could keep him out a few weeks past the date he’d be eligible to return, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News:
“Let’s conservatively just throw a month out there until we get him back in the rotation,” general manager Brian Cashman said. “It could be sooner, but he’s a starter. You’ve got to build him back up. You shut him down, at the very least, 7-to-10 days of no throwing, and that’s the least, so it could be more. When he feels better, we’ll get him going.”
Since beginning his rookie season in 2014 on a torrid, Cy Young-level pace, Tanaka has pitched through various injuries. The 26-year-old right-hander posted a 2.51 ERA with 135 strikeouts and just 19 walks in 129⅓ innings spanning his first 18 starts last year before an elbow injury put him on the shelf for more than two months.
This season, Tanaka has struck out 24 batters and walked seven in 22⅓ innings while posting a 3.22 ERA.
Tanaka’s current injuries appear to be unrelated to the elbow issue, one that the player and club chose not to address via surgery after consulting with team doctors.
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