Yankees' Tanaka to meet with team doctor

CLEVELAND (AP) Masahiro Tanaka has a partially torn ligament in his right elbow, and the New York Yankees hope their rookie sensation will be able to pitch again this season.

General manager Brian Cashman said Thursday night that Tanaka could return in six weeks, but didn't rule out the possibility of Tommy John surgery if the right-hander doesn't respond to a rehab program.

The injury is a huge blow to a battered Yankees rotation already missing CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova and Michael Pineda to injuries. Tanaka had been a stabilizing ace at the top of the rotation in his first season since arriving from Japan.

Tanaka was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday and had an MRI in New York, one day after his worst major league outing. He flew from New York to Seattle to be examined Thursday by Dr. Christopher Ahmad, the team's head physician.

Ahmad was attending a conference in Seattle.

Tanaka, who is tied for the major league lead with 12 wins, allowed five runs and 10 hits - both career highs - over 6 2-3 innings Tuesday night in a 5-3 loss to the Indians.

The All-Star is 12-4 with a 2.51 ERA in 18 starts, but has lost three of his past four outings.

The Yankees signed the 25-year-old Tanaka to a $155 million, seven-year contract in January after he had a standout career in Japan. New York also paid $20 million to his Japanese team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles, for his rights.

Tanaka has held together the Yankees' depleted rotation. Sabathia is expected to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, and Nova had Tommy John surgery and won't pitch again until next year.

New York began the day three games behind first-place Baltimore in the AL East.

Elbow ligament-replacement surgery, commonly called Tommy John surgery, would almost certainly sideline Tanaka for at least a year.