Masahiro Tanaka will make his much awaited return to the mound on Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays, a New York Yankees news and rumors update indicated.
Tanaka, who has been sidelined by a right elbow injury since July 8, recently threw 65 pitches in a simulated game, and felt no pain after the session, prompting the Yankees to finally test him out in actual game.
"I think that's what we've all be waiting to get back to," team manager Joe Girardi said in a Yankees news and rumors update on NY Daily News. "He's worked very hard to get back. He's gotten a lot of work done, and we'll see how he holds up."
Tanaka also played catch on Tuesday following the five-inning simulated game and his elbow did not show any sign of soreness. The Japanese pitcher said that he is excited to return on Sunday, knowing that it would give him a good idea about how his injured elbow will hold up in an actual match.
"More than anything, I want to see if my body is able to go fully on a major-league mound; pitch on the mound," Tanaka said. "That's by far most important to me. Also, the fact that, to be able to contribute in the team's win would be something important to me, too."
Girardi announced that the 25-year-old pitcher, who signed a 10-year contract worth $155 million during the offseason, will throw 70-75 pitches against the Blue Jays.
Tanaka's return is not related to the Yankees' fading playoff hopes. Yankees news and rumors indicated that the club decided to have their ace hurler pitch in an actual game to know whether or not he will need to undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
"I've said all along, we're going to have to get to the point where he's in a real game and there's normal preparation and there's people in the stands and his adrenaline's flowing," Girardi said via Newsday. "I was pleased with the way the ball was coming out of his hand today."
