Tanaka throws off mound after offseason elbow surgery
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, coming back after arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow last October, has thrown off a bullpen mound.
Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild said the Japanese right-hander had a throwing session Tuesday in New York.
After a pre-spring training workout at Steinbrenner Field, said Rothschild said all the reports are good regarding Tanaka's rehabilitation program. The Yankees said the injury dates from when Tanaka pitched in Japan. He signed with New York before the 2014 season.
Tanaka was diagnosed with a partially torn elbow ligament in 2014, when he went 13-5 in 20 starts. He was 12-7 with a 3.51 ERA in 24 starts last year and lost to Houston in the AL wild-card game.
Tanaka was on the disabled list from April 23 to June 3 last season with right wrist tendinitis and a forearm strain, then missed a September start because of a strained right hamstring.
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A trio of Yankees' starting pitchers, Luis Severino, Michael Pineda and Nathan Eovaldi, are taking part in throwing programs with Rothschild in Tampa. Eovaldi went 14-3 in 27 starts last year, but his season ended after an outing on Sept. 5 due to right elbow inflammation.