RADIO
New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka underwent arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to remove a bone spur from his right elbow.
The bone spur dates back to his time in Japan, according to the Yankees front office. Six weeks of exercise and strengthening is required before the start of a throwing program. The right-hander should be ready to go in time for Spring Training.
Yankees announce Masahiro Tanaka had arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow today.
— Mark Feinsand (@FeinsandNYDN) October 20, 2015
Despite not undergoing surgery prior to the 2015 season, Tanaka finished the season with a 3.51 ERA and 139/27 K/BB ratio over 154 innings this season. It wasn’t as dominant as his rookie 2014 season, but it wasn’t terrible.
Tanaka still has five years at around $22 million annually left on his deal. The Yankees will need the Tanaka of old in order to get back to the postseason. They were bounced in the AL Wild Card game against the Houston Astros. Tanaka allowed two runs over five innings pitched. Both runs came off homers, which is an area that he needs to fix for the future.
