Hammy will bug Tanaka rest of way
Masahiro Tanaka expects to return to the Yankees rotation soon, but the strained right hamstring that caused him to be shelved likely will linger even after comes back.
After throwing a 31pitch bullpen session Friday, Tanaka said he still felt discomfort in his hamstring, which “probably” would persist at least through the end of the regular season.
“It’s a strain, so we’ll have to see,” Tanaka said through an interpreter before the Yankees’ 52 loss to the White Sox at the Stadium on Friday night. “We have to find out how I feel [Saturday] after the bullpen.”
Manager Joe Girardi remains hopeful Tanaka will be able to start early next week, although that’s dependent on how the righthander feels Saturday following the bullpen session, as well as the fielding and running drills he will have to go through before he’s declared healthy.
The injury occurred when Tanaka was running to first on a bunt attempt against the Mets last Friday.
Tanaka said even with the lingering effects of the injury, he would be able to “throw 100 percent.”
“I wish it was gone, but it’s still there,” Tanaka said. “A good sign is I was able to throw a pretty good bullpen today. I’m definitely moving in the right direction.”
If that continues, a start on Monday or Tuesday against the Red Sox isn’t out of the question, but Girardi insisted he’s not looking forward to a potential wildcard game yet.
“We haven’t clinched anything in postseason,” Girardi said. “We need to win games. When we get to the point we’ve clinched something and know exactly what will happen, then we’ll set things up.”
Prospect Jorge Mateo is taking ground balls on the right side of the infield during Instructional League action in Tampa, and not because the stud shortstop prospect is being moved to second base.
“He’s over there but only working on shifts,” general manager Brian Cashman said of Mateo, who scouts believe could play anywhere on the field because of offthecharts athleticism.
Some scouts have compared Mateo, 20, to Edgar Renteria and Jose Reyes.
Rob Refsnyder was back at second base for a second straight day against a lefthanded starter.
“I thought he had good atbats [Thursday],” Girardi said before Refsnyder went 1for2 with a double.
Girardi has been impressed by how well Didi Gregorius has held up in his first season in The Bronx.
“It’s kind of what we envisioned when we traded for him,” the manager said. “I liked the personality he had. He’s not a kid that put a lot of pressure on himself.” Girardi was asked about the AL Cy Young race, which figures to be a battle between the Astros’ Dallas Keuchel and David Price of the Blue Jays.
“We haven’t seen [Keuchel] a lot,” Girardi said. “It seems like we see David Price six times a year. They both have tremendous stuff. The job Keuchel has done in [Houston’s hitterfriendly] ballpark. And the job David has done with the Blue Jays and how well he’s fit since he’s been traded over there. It would be hard for me to pick either one.”