After numerous injuries have plagued the New York Yankees since the start of spring training, the team might finally be getting good news in that department in the former of Masahiro Tanaka and is troublesome elbow. Since the 2014 season began, the Yankees have lost four starting pitchers while a possible fifth one went down over the weekend. Two of those pitchers are out for the entire year, leaving the Yankees digging for depth on the roster. Still in the hunt for the American League wild card, the Yankees are hoping positive reports about Tanaka lead to his return sooner rather than later.
Tanaka was living up to his reputation as one of the best pitchers to sign during the offseason. New York invested $175 million into the Japanese pitcher he repaid them by going 11-1 with a 1.99 ERA through 14 starts. However, elbow issues landed him on the disabled list as the Yankees feared the worst. Manager Joe Girardi said Tanaka would undergo therapy first to see if the issue fixed itself and it appears he might have made the right call.
In an attempt to avoid Tommy John surgery, Tanaka received platelet-rich plasma injections into his right elbow and the results appear positive. The pitcher suffered a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament that landed him on the DL. Undergoing surgery would have meant that he would miss the remainder of the season and possibly all of 2015, but after testing his arm out on Monday, Tanaka could return sooner rather than later to the field.
ESPN.com is reporting that the Yankees are confident Tanaka is back on the mound come September which is perfect timing considering David Phelps went down over the weekend, landing on the DL for elbow inflammation. Phelps could be out for at least a month, if not more. In an effort to avoid trades, the Yankees called up Matt Daley, but Girardi is uncertain whether or not he is ready to start just yet.
The Yankees are expecting Michael Pineda to also return for the playoff stretch. He is scheduled to have two more rehab starts before returning likely in the middle of the month. Getting both pitchers back means the Yankees will not have to make a trade for a player off the waiver wires in the coming weeks. The Philadelphia Phillies placed both AJ Burnett and Kyle Kendrick on waivers and the Yankees were immediately linked to them. However, getting if the team can hold steady for a few more weeks, they get back two better options in time for the postseason.
