After more than three months on the shelf, Masahiro Tanaka returns to the rotation this afternoon. The treatment for his partially torn ligament is complete, so the elbow is as healthy as it’s going to get. This afternoon’s start — as well as his next start in five days — is about testing the ligament in game action. It still might blow out and require Tommy John surgery. If it does, the Yankees want it to happen now rather than next April.
The Yankees are out of the postseason race — they are still mathematically alive, but they’re an extreme long shot — so results don’t matter this afternoon. If Tanaka gets rocked, fine. It’ll suck, but whatever. The healthy of his elbow is the most important thing. If he comes through the start feeling strong and the ligament holds up, then it’s a major win in the grand scheme of things. The Yankees could certainly use some good injury news after these last two seasons. Here is the Blue Jays lineup and here is the Yankees lineup:
- CF Brett Gardner
- DH Derek Jeter
- C Brian McCann
- LF Chris Young
- 3B Chase Headley
- 1B Francisco Cervelli
- 2B Stephen Drew
- RF Ichiro Suzuki
- SS Brendan Ryan
RHP Masahiro Tanaka
Not the best weather for Tanaka’s return — it’s overcast and humid as hell, plus there is some scattered rain in the forecast throughout the day. Hopefully nothing that causes any kind of delay. The last thing the Yankees need is Tanaka’s first game back to be cut short by the weather. This afternoon’s game will start at 1:05pm ET and you can watch on YES. Enjoy the game.
Updates: Joe Girardi said Derek Jeter will play every game the rest of the season, even if he only starts as the DH … Carlos Beltran (elbow) will not have his surgery until after the season, though it remains unclear if he will be healthy enough to play this last week … Jacoby Ellsbury (hamstring) wants to play again this season, even if the team is eliminated … Chaz Roe was designated for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot for Tanaka, who was activated off the 60-day DL.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.