New York Yankees' ace Masahiro Tanaka continues to progress in his rehab from the partially torn UCL he suffered in his right elbow back in July. On Monday during the team's spring training practice Tanaka did something he hadn't done since the end of September.
The right-hander faced live batters today in Tampa, Fla. and general manager Brian Cashman was present for the short session. Tanaka threw 25 pitches total to five different batters - Brett Gardner, Chris Young, Ramon Flores, Jonathan Galvez and Tyler Austin. Each hitter saw five pitches and Tanaka only gave up "one solid hit," according to Ryan Hatch of NJ.com.
"I tried not to go too, too hard on the mound," Tanaka told Paul Hagen of MLB.com. "That's what I was thinking. The reason is, because it's natural, once you get on the mound and once you're facing batters, you want to go hard. In order for me to not do that too much, I thought in my mind to not go too hard."
"My body's perfectly fine. I understand everybody's worried about the elbow and I understand too that I have to be cautious about it, as well, but so far it's been good."
Manager Joe Girardi said Tanaka is "right where we want him to be" and that he's not going to stress about every pitch the right-hander throws. Tanaka's progression throughout the offseason has been promising, especially since pitching coach Larry Rothschild said he has been able to throw with greater intensity in each subsequent bullpen session.
Hagen notes Tanaka's next step will be another bullpen session or a simulated game. The 26-year-old threw a number of simulated games while he began the early stages of his rehab before he returned to the Yankees in late September, so nothing in this process will be new to him. Nonetheless, the team will continue to be cautious with him as they approach Opening Day.
Girardi says he won't be worried about Tanaka's every pitch, but New York will likely need the right-hander to last the entire 2015 season if they want a legitimate shot at the postseason. Before missing over two months with his elbow injury, Tanaka was a candidate for the AL Cy Young Award thanks to a 13-5 record with a 2.77 ERA, 1.056 WHIP and 141 strikeouts in 20 starts (136 1/3 innings).
