Pedro Says Yankees Ace Is "Not Completely Healthy"

Pedro Martinez believes Masahiro Tanaka, the Yankees' Opening Day starter, is still having elbow issues and predicted that Tanaka will not make it through the 2015 season without injury. Tanaka is pitching with a slight tear in the ulnar collateral ligament of his right elbow.

Anthony McCarron, Daily News:

[Pedro Martinez] said Wednesday he believes [Masahiro] Tanaka has been holding back on most of his pitches in spring training and predicted the Yankee ace won't get through the season intact. ...

Tanaka missed 10 weeks last season, but doctors recommended rest and rehab instead of Tommy John surgery. ...

There were questions in camp about Tanaka's fastball velocity, which dipped to 89-90 miles per hour. But Tanaka waved those away, saying he was working on his two-seam fastball rather than the harder, four-seamer that could get into the mid-90s last year.

Martinez isn't convinced. "Tanaka's not healthy right now because I believe Tanaka is hesitant to let it go," he said. "He's hanging all those breaking balls he's throwing. The only pitch he's committing to is the split-finger and his problems are actually in a place where you don't need to put any more stress, which is the elbow. And he's hesitant. He's hesitating to throw the fastball and he's hanging every breaking ball he throwing out there."