For the New York Yankees (45-44), the unbearably-frustrating 2014 season just keeps rolling on for the worse. Today it was announced that star-pitcher, and best Yankees player, Masahiro Tanaka will be unavailable for a while due to injury.
Tanaka has been placed on the 15-day disabled-list with inflammation in his right-elbow, according to Yankees.com. He felt discomfort in his last start, as he actually looked human for once.
George King III of the New York Post reports that Tanaka will be flying back to New York for an MRI, according to NewYorkPost.com. For a team with so many current struggles, Tanaka was one of the few major bright-spots. He currently leads the league with 12 wins pitching to a 2.51 ERA.
Before Tanaka’s injury, Yankees general-manager Brian Cashman was already shopping for two-starters, including being very close to landing the Chicago Cubs’ Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel. Now with Tanaka on the shelf, this marks four-fifths of the Yankees’ opening day rotation out due to injury (Tanaka, Sabathia, Pineda and Nova), leaving only Hiroki Kuroda healthy.
A shot like this is devastating and the last thing the Yankees ever think about is playing the role of “sellers” after the all-star break. However, due to the rash of injuries these past few years and the rough 2014 season, Cashman and the Yanks really need to start thinking about their future. Their organization is old, with very few prospects coming through the farm. There is a new formula for success in the big-leagues these days, and the pin-strippers are not up to date.