Yankees must handle Tanaka’s return from injury with care

With their large investment, the New York Yankees would prefer Masahiro Tanaka, second from left, be pitching games not watching them. The Japanese star, recovering from a partial tear in his throwingShow more

While the New York Yankees and fiscal responsibility are not well-acquainted, even the Bronx bombasts must be having mixed emotions over pitcher Masahiro Tanaka’s return.

Until he was diagnosed with a partial ulnar collateral ligament tear in his right elbow on July 10, Tanaka had earned rave reviews and a 12-4 record with a 2.51 earned-run average and 7.11 strikeouts-to-walks ratio. When he went down, though, his team's play-off hopes appeared to follow.

The Yankees have scuffled their way to 62-59, seven games out of first place in the mediocre American League East. Hiroki Kuroda, 39, is the last man standing in a starting rotation ravaged by injury, and even he was held out of his last start to give him extra rest.

Given that, the news that Tanaka is back throwing bullpen sessions after choosing rehab over Tommy John surgery and on track to return to action next month should be music to the Yankees’ ears. Any enthusiasm must be tempered, though. The track record of pitchers rehabbing such injuries is not promising, and Tanaka has yet to start throwing offspeed pitches, including his famed splitter.

New York must not be seduced by the faint hope of making the play-offs. They invested US$155 million (Dh569.3m) in Tanaka and must use him as a future cornerstone of their rotation, not an expendable cog in a chase for short-term glory.

Major League Baseball is in good health, despite going five years without the Yankees in the World Series. Both will be just fine if the drought lasts one year longer.

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