He issued a heart-felt statement Friday afternoon through the team.
“As recently announced from the team, I will be going through some treatment and rehab on my injured elbow over the next several weeks. 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. 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.
“I want to apologize to the Yankees organization, my teammates and our fans for not being able to help during this time. I accept this injury as a challenge, but I promise to do everything I can to overcome this setback and return to the mound as soon as possible.”
Tanaka, who is 12-4 with a 2.51 ERA and was a leading contender for the AL Cy Young award, is expected to miss at least six weeks with the partial UCL tear, though there’s no certainty he’ll be able to avoid Tommy John surgery if rehab doesn’t work.
LUCROY TO START IN PLACE OF MOLINA
Milwaukee’s Jonathan Lucroy will replace injured St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina as the National League’s starter for Tuesday night’s All-Star game.
The commissioner’s office said Friday that Arizona’s Miguel Montero will fill Molina’s roster spot.
Elected to start for the fourth time, Molina tore a ligament in his right thumb Wednesday. He was scheduled for surgery Friday and is expected to be sidelined for at least eight weeks. Martinez hasn’t played since July 4 because of a strained back.
PHILLIPS HAS SURGERY, INJURIES PILING UP
Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips had surgery Friday to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb, an injury that’s expected to sideline him for about six weeks.
The Reds entered a weekend series against Pittsburgh with their infield depleted by injuries.
First baseman Joey Votto was out indefinitely with a strained muscle above his left knee. Skip Schumaker, who was expected to help fill in at second base, went on the 7-day disabled list with a concussion.
Schumaker ran into the outfield wall as he tried to make a catch during a 6-4, 12-inning loss to the Cubs on Thursday. He was sore when he showed up at the ballpark on Friday, and he was later diagnosed with a concussion.
RANGERS CATCHER BUSTED FOR POT
The 2014 season took another frustrating turn for the Rangers this week, when rehabbing catcher Geovany Soto was arrested on a marijuana possession charge on Wednesday night, the Dallas Morning News reported . He was pulled over for speeding around 10 p.m. and was charged with misdemeanor possession (under 2 ounces).
Soto has been on the team’s disabled list all season with a knee injury, and he’s currently on a rehab assignment. He has one hit in 16 at-bats between Double-A and Triple-A.
Soto was released on a $500 bond Thursday morning. He released a statement through the team: “I was stopped by Grapevine Police on Wednesday nigh. I am embarrassed and would like to apologize to my family, the Rangers organization, and our fans that I was taken in on this charge.
“Because this is an ongoing case, I cannot discuss this matter any further at this time.”
BLUE JAYS LOSE LIND
The Blue Jays placed first baseman Adam Lind on the 15-day disabled list Friday with a broken right foot and recalled Dan Johnson from Triple-A Buffalo.
Lind has been dealing with foot pain for weeks and aggravated the injury last Saturday at Baltimore. The injury originally was diagnosed as a bone bruise.
The Blue Jays announced before Friday night’s game against Tampa Bay that Lind will be in a walking boot for five to seven days and could return in two to three weeks.
In 61 games this season, Lind has a .320 average with four homers and 27 RBIs.
Contributors: Ryan Fagan, Jason O. Boyd, The Associated Press
