On Tuesday, Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka was sent for an MRI after reporting discomfort in his right wrist. GM Brian Cashman told reporters at Yankee Stadium the MRI showed tendinitis in the wrist and a "small" forearm strain. Tanaka will be placed on the 15-day DL and "conservatively" miss a month.
Needless say, losing a pitcher of Tanaka's caliber would be a big blow for any team. He has a 3.22 ERA (126 ERA+) with a 0.94 WHIP and a 24/7 K/BB in 22 1/3 innings and four starts so far this year. Here are five things to know about Tanaka, the injury and its affect on the Yankees.
1. There is "no change" in Tanaka's elbow ligament.
Tanaka, of course, missed most of the second half last season with a partially torn elbow ligament. He rehabbed the injury per the recommendation of multiple doctors and returned to the mound last September.
While chatting with reporters, Cashman confirmed the MRI showed "no change" in Tanaka's elbow ligament. It's a wrist issue and a forearm issue down near his wrist, not his elbow. Tanaka's ligament remains intact and he doesn't need Tommy John surgery at this time. Maybe in the future! But not now.
2. Forearm strains are a common precursor to UCL issues, however.
By now we've all heard it a million times. "Forearm strain" is usually a precursor to elbow ligament damage, and since Tanaka already has the partially torn ligament, he is more at risk of a future UCL injury.
The MRI showed "no change" in his ligament, but that doesn't mean this forearm strain is not the start of something more serious. This injury could be the result of Tanaka compensating -- perhaps subconsciously -- for the the elbow ligament issue somehow.
3. The Yankees have both short and long-term internal rotation options.
Tanaka was scheduled to start Wednesday's game, so the Yankees need a replacement immediately. Michael Pineda is expected to step in to make the start instead on regular rest -- the Yankees called up Chase Whitley to make a spot start Tuesday just to give their other starters an extra day of rest, so the timing worked out well.
Whitley, who held the Rays to one run in five innings Tuesday, figures to stay in the rotation as Tanaka's replacement for the time being. He had a 4.60 ERA in 12 starts last season, his MLB debut. Righty Bryan Mitchell has a 3.14 ERA at Triple-A since the start of last year and is another rotation candidate. Whitley and Mitchell are the short-term options.
Looking ahead a few weeks, the Yankees have veterans Chris Capuano (quad) and Ivan Nova (Tommy John surgery) on the rehab trail. Capuano is on a minor league rehab assignment now and is expected back in mid-May. Nova's target return date it sometime in June. Whitley and Mitchell will be asked the hold down the fort until those guys return.
4. These are the Yankees. So expect a trade ... eventually.
It's easy to say the Yankees will rush out and make a trade now (Cole Hamels!), but they haven't operated that way in a while. Not since George Steinbrenner was still involved in the day-to-day operations. The Yankees have first cycled through internal options following an injury before going out and making a trade the last few years. No reason to think they'll act differently now.
Now, that said, these are the Yankees, so yes, expect a trade. That was the case even before Tanaka's injury. Pineda (shoulder) and CC Sabathia (knee) also came into the season with injury concerns and Capuano is the kind of guy teams are always looking to replace. Tanaka's injury only reinforced that the Yankees will likely have to go outside the organization for rotation help at some point.
As for potential targets ... I think it's too early to say. Hamels is the big one but it's unclear if the Yankees have the prospects to beat out an offer from, say, the Red Sox or Cardinals or Dodgers. Same goes for Johnny Cueto. Lower profile trade candidates include Matt Garza, Kyle Lohse, Aaron Harang, Yovani Gallardo and Dan Haren.
The Yankees made a shrewd under the radar trade to get Brandon McCarthy last season, and he was excellent down the stretch in pinstripes. I expect them to look for a similar "buy low" candidate when searching for rotation help this summer.
5. This is life for the Yankees and Tanaka now.
Tanaka and the Yankees didn't make the decision to go rehab over Tommy John surgery on a whim last year. They followed doctors' orders and he rehabbed the injury successfully. Tanaka made it back to the mound, which is a point others like Chad Billingsley and Matt Harvey never reached when they tried to rehab their ligament tears.
Because of last year's injury though, everything that happens with Tanaka now will be viewed through his elbow. Bad start? Because of the elbow. Wrist injury? It's the elbow. Hung a splitter? Blame the elbow. That's life now, and everytime Tanaka makes a start, the Yankees will hold their breath and hope he makes it through in one piece.
This latest injury is a not so gentle reminder Tanaka's elbow has already been compromised. Whether he needs Tommy John surgery now, next month, next year or 10 years down the line is something we can't know. We all just have to wait and see.
