Yankees Continue To Hold Their Breath For Masahiro Tanaka

The Yankees continue to keep their fingers crossed for ace Masahiro Tanaka, as they certainly need him as the center piece for the starting rotation this upcoming season. 

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Tanaka had a stellar rookie season, finishing the season with a 13-5 record and 2.77 ERA. It was unfortunately cut short in July due to a slight tear in his right elbow, also known as a ulnar collateral ligament.

Tommy John surgery was on the list of possible options for a solution, but Tanaka has somehow escaped it so far. He was able to come back in September and have two quality starts, and the Yankees didn’t see any concerns. In fact, Tanaka didn’t skip a beat.

The right-hander is an important piece of the recipe for the team if they want to land back in the playoffs, and the Yankees are certainly aware of that. Therefore, both them and general manager Brian Cashman will continue to take extreme precautions on his elbow these next couple months. Tanaka avoiding surgery all together would definitely be a win in the Yankees’ book.

“We’ll keep our fingers crossed,” Cashman told Brendan Kuty of NJ.com. “You have examples of people who get passed it, not an issue. You also have seen examples where people eventually have to go under the knife. So we’ll see.”

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