Masahiro Tanaka Heads to the Disabled List

The Yankees opened the 2015 season with many uncertainties along with a roster full of expensive, aging and increasingly injury prone players loaded with talent but shrouded in skepticism about their ability to contend in the American League East.

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While things were going relatively well  for the Yankees, they faced a major loss Tuesday night during the game against the Rays when news broke that Masahiro Tanaka was heading to the 15 day disabled list with tenderness in his right wrist on Tuesday, and after an MRI revealed a forearm strain in his throwing arm — an ailment frequently associated with ligament injuries. This is the second time the 26-year-old superstar landed on the disabled list for in his young big-league career. He will be shut down from throwing for 7-10 days, and Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters that the club hopes Tanaka will return to the mound in a month.

When asked if Tanaka’s latest injury could be related to the UCL issue that sidelined the pitcher last season, manager Joe Girardi said: “I can’t tell you that. I don’t know. I could be, it may not be. Something came up from his bullpen, and who knows? The thing is, we’ve got to deal with it, and we will.”

But Tanaka’s injury serves as a gloomy reminder of the Yanks’ continuous struggle to keep a healthy team as they employ the Majors’ oldest offense and a starting rotation that also features CC Sabathia, who missed most of 2014 with a knee injury, and Michael Pineda, who has made only 17 big-league starts since 2011.

It’s enough to keep Yankees manager Joe Girardi up at night, and with good reason. However, these Yankees have shown early on that they have the makeup to contend for a playoff place, even without Tanaka.

Meanwhile, their offense, one littered with question marks in March has re-emerged in April. Obviously Alex Rodriguez has been the catalyst, but Mark Teixiera is also slugging like his old self, while Brian McCann and Jacoby Ellsbury are Showing signs of bouncing back from bad first seasons in the Bronx. It’s early, but over the past two weeks at least, the Yankees have shown they can flat out hit - even Chris Young, who was laughed out of Queens last season, has an OPS flirting with 1.000 off of the bench.

Michael Pineda, who now becomes the Yankees’ ace by default, pitched 5²/₃ innings to get the eventual no-decision against the offensively underwhelming Rays. He threw 93 pitches, which prompted the somewhat early exit. Chase Whitley, will likely remain in the rotation until Tanaka comes back. 

So while Tanaka obviously represents a major loss, thanks to the way their offense has resurfaced, and the emergence of a sub-2.00 ERA bullpen, there’s really no reason why New York can’t still win the AL East.

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO