After 35 days on the shelf with wrist tendinitis and a minor forearm strain, Masahiro Tanaka makes his hopefully triumph return to the rotation this afternoon. The team insisted the injury was minor — Tanaka was reportedly upset he was placed on the DL — but the Yankees were understandably cautious with their high-priced ace. Tanaka made two Triple-A rehab starts and will be limited to about 80 pitches this afternoon.
That’s the big story on a micro level. On a macro level, the Yankees have a chance to finish off a sweep of the Mariners this afternoon thanks to last night’s thrilling come from behind extra innings win. The team has been scuffling overall the last few weeks but they’ve actually won six of their last nine games and are still somehow atop the AL East. Now they’re getting Tanaka back. Things are looking up. Here is Seattle’s lineup and here is New York’s lineup:
- CF Brett Gardner
- 3B Chase Headley
- DH Alex Rodriguez
- 1B Mark Teixeira
- C Brian McCann
- RF Garrett Jones
- SS Didi Gregorius
- 2B Stephen Drew
- LF Ramon Flores
RHP Masahiro Tanaka
It’s another cool and cloudy day in Seattle, but there’s no rain in the forecast, so the Safeco Field roof should be open. This afternoon’s series finale will begin at 3:40pm ET, and you can watch live on YES. Enjoy the game.
Roster Move: If you missed it earlier, David Carpenter was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the roster for Tanaka. I’m pleasantly surprised they didn’t simply send down Jacob Lindgren.
Injury Update: Carlos Beltran is still sore after fouling a pitch off his right foot last night. He can play today in an emergency though. Beltran went for x-rays after the game last night and they showed no fracture.
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