The New York Yankees announced that Masahiro Tanaka will throw a bullpen session Saturday at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
Last week, Tanaka was set back after he was diagnosed with arm fatigue by the Yankees team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad. He aims to repair his partially torn right ulnar collateral ligament. Tanaka was experiencing soreness after a 49-pitch simulated game. Yankees manager Joe Girardi was not sure how many pitches Tanaka would throw on Saturday.
Girardi had this to say, "Let's just take that and see how it goes. When he gets through that, I guess I'll decide what's next."
The Yankees have been very careful with Tanaka who hopes to avoid Tommy John surgery. Girardi said that he will throw in a game to test the elbow regardless of their position in the standings.
The rookie is 12-4 with a 2.51 ERA along with one shutout and three complete games. As long as he remains healthy he may be what the Yankees need to push themselves all the way to the postseason.