Because of James Paxton’s lower back injury, that’ll likely keep him out until June, Masahiro Tanaka will be bumped up a spot in the Yankees starting rotation. And while his 2019 regular season stats would give some pause for concern, two significant factors are working in Masa’s behalf.
First, Tanaka underwent offseason surgery to remove bone spurs from his right elbow. Following the 2015 season, Masa had the same procedure done and pitched the following campaign brilliantly: 14-4 with a 3.07 ERA, 1.077 WHIP, 3.51 FIP, and 165:41 K:BB ratio across 199.2 innings. Tanaka finished seventh in voting for the AL Cy Young Award in 2016.