Baseball Masahiro Tanaka Fine After Bullpen Session Tanaka is in the midst of returning from forearm and wrist injuries. by Staff Post May 19, 2015 Elsa/Getty Images Masahiro Tanaka was sent by the New York Yankees to Nationals Park in Washington D.C. to throw a bullpen session on Monday afternoon. Tanaka is in the midst of returning from forearm and wrist injuries. After Tanaka’s 29-pitch bullpen on Monday, the dominant right-hander’s next step is a minor league rehab start. He will likely need at least two of those and will not be back in pinstripes until late this month, at best. The American League East is so bad that you could hesitate before saying the Yankees need Tanaka to win it, but having a healthy Tanaka certainly wouldn’t hurt. The Tampa Bay Rays currently sit in second place, a game back of the Yanks, but with their injuries and lack of depth it is doubted that they will win the marathon. The Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and Baltimore Orioles would seem to be more of a challenge but at this point none of them can even play over .500. So, the Bronx Bombers are sitting atop a depleted AL East with a 22-17 record, which as of Monday would not lead any other division. But, if you really want to feel good about the Yankees chances to win the division, they need a healthy Tanaka. The offensive troubles have not fully developed just yet. Throughout the first five games of the Yankees road trip they are averaging 1.2 runs in the five losses that have occurred. The Yankee offense for the most part has been healthy, not showing any major injuries as of yet. In the minds of many, at some point an offensive player such as Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Jacoby Ellsbury, or Carlos Beltran will go down. It is then when the Yankees will need Tanaka to go seven innings giving up two runs or less. So, Tanaka was at Nationals Park trying to find his form. He is 2-1 with a 3.22 earned run average early on. The Yankees show no way of replacing him, and no one else in the division may be able to match this team if he is right. Post Views: 1,200 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Staff Post Latest posts by Staff Post (see all) In The Zone Announces Initial Podcast Lineup - November 13, 2020 The Essential Resources You Need to Start Your Own Gym in 2020 - February 6, 2020 Wilder vs Fury II – How the second fight will be different to the first? - February 5, 2020 Early turnovers, defensive struggles plague the Scarlet Knights - January 26, 2020 Related TopicsAlex RodriguezCarlos BeltranJacoby EllsburyMark TeixeiraMasahiro TanakaNew York Yankees Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 19, 2021 Michael Jordan Could Change the Future of Nascar for the Better by Inesh Chari | posted on March 30, 2021 WNBA Rolling Out Red Carpet For Upcoming 25th Anniversary Season by Jason Cordner | posted on March 16, 2021 More in Baseball You Know I’m Right, Episode 112: New York Jets’ Insider Brian Costello (Audio/Video) On the 112th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) On the 109th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 108: WFAN’s Sweeny Murti (Audio/Video) On the 108th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 107: New York Post’s Columnist Mike Vaccaro (Audio/Video) On the 107th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... The Yankees need “Big Mike,” to be “Iron Mike” Mets’ Kevin Plawecki may only be passing through Queens, but he’s a keeper