New York Yankees: Masahiro Tanaka is feeling well

The New York Yankees have a few big question marks in their starting rotation, but no pitcher is more important to the staff than Masahiro Tanaka.

Tanaka as the elbow that has famously been labeled as a ticking time bomb, but so far, Tanaka is looking well this offseason.

“I thought he looked where he’s supposed to be at right now,” manager Joe Girardi said to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. “He didn’t look behind to me. He threw all his pitches today. I felt good about it. He felt good about it, which is probably more important.”

“My body is feeling really good right now,” Tanaka said through an interpreter to Feinsand. “I have to take it day by day moving forward.”

Tanaka is the ace of the Yankees’ staff, but in two seasons since coming to America, he has been injured for a significant amount of time both seasons.

“So far, no hitches or anything,” Rothschild said to Feinsand. “We’ll just keep progressing and hopefully it stays that way.”

“You’re aware of everything,” Rothschild said when asked if the elbow was still a concern to Feinsand. “You have to be aware of the fact of what he went through two years ago, but hopefully it is behind us. I look at the positives, and as long as we keep progressing and keep going, we’ll get him ready.”

In his first two seasons with the Yankees, Tanaka has thrown 136.1 innings and 154 innings, which are both low numbers. Moving forward this season, the Yankees are hopeful that Tanaka will be able to stay healthy and log more innings.

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“I think it’s reasonable,” Rothschild said of the innings goal to Feinsand. “I’ve had pitchers in the past where the goal is 200 innings because they feel if they throw 200 innings with their abilities, you’re going to see the numbers where they should be. I don’t think it’s a bad goal to have, but we need to break it down in how to get to 200 innings and what that’s going to mean throughout the year.”

When healthy, Tanaka has been very good for the Yankees, as in 2014, he totaled a 2.77 ERA and 141 strikeouts. Last season, Tanaka wasn’t as dominant, as he totaled a 3.55 ERA and 139 strikeouts. Tanaka did have a WHIP under 1.00 last season, but allowing 25 home runs really burned him at times.

It is a slow process back for Tanaka, but the Yankees need to be very careful with their 27-year-old ace.

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“I’ve taken the schedule out a little ways, but with guys like him, I’d rather see each progression and not put a timetable on it,” Rothschild said to Feinsand. “We’ll progress him. It’s obviously a real possibility, but until I get down the path a little bit, I’m not going to know that.”

The health of Tanaka could make or break the Yankees’ season, as it will be hard to overcome another season with their ace missing an extended period of time.

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