Tanaka Apologies to Fans for Injury
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Hannah Foslien/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — A day after being diagnosed with a partially torn UCL in his pitching arm, Masahiro Tanaka issued an apology to both the New York Yankees and their fans on Friday. Tanaka was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday before the official determination was made.
“I give everything I have every time I take the ball. With that, I also know that there will always be a risk of injury when playing this game that I love,” said Tanaka. “Right now I feel that the most important thing for me is to keep my head up, remain focused on the task at hand and devote all my energy into healing the injury in order to come back strong.”
Yankees owner Brian Cashman said the righty could return in as little as six weeks but also acknowledged the possibility of Tommy John surgery. Tanaka saw three separate doctors on Thursday, including head team physician, Dr. Christopher S. Ahmad, and each agreed on a timetable of six weeks.
Tanaka is currently 12-4 on the year with a 2.51 earned run average and was recently voted to the Major League All-Star Game. He now joins a list of ever growing Yankees on the DL, including three other starting pitchers.
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