TORONTO — Brian Cashman isn’t going to guarantee staff ace Masahiro Tanaka will be ready to pitch next week when his turn surfaces, but the Yankees general manager is encouraged with the progress being made on Tanaka’s Grade 1 right hamstring problem.
“I can’t say 100 percent, but I believe he will,’’ Cashman said before Monday’s 4-2 loss to the Blue Jays. “He felt he could have pitched Wednesday.’’
Tanaka, who suffered the injury running to first after getting a bunt down Friday night in the second inning against the Mets, didn’t accompany the Yankees to Rogers Centre. Instead, he was receiving treatment at Yankee Stadium.
“Our thought is that the next turn through, he would be in the rotation,’’ manager Joe Girardi said of the right-hander, who is 12-7 with a 3.38 ERA in 23 starts. “His day would have been Wednesday, so sometime next week.’’
The Yankees’ place in the AL East race — 3 ½ lengths back of the first-place Blue Jays — will play a part in their decision as to when Tanaka will start again. However, most of it will depend on Tanaka’s hamstring.
“That’s something you look at,’’ Girardi said, “but the most important thing is health.’’
According to Girardi, Tanaka made progress Monday.
“He had a good day, he did work at the ballpark,’’ Girardi said. “He did conditioning, played catch and everything was good. He said he felt better [Monday] than he did [Sunday].’’
Ivan Nova, who is 6-8 with a 5.11 ERA and was rocked by the Blue Jays the last time he faced them, will start Wednesday.
Cashman said Nathan Eovaldi’s inflamed right elbow is improving, but not to the point where he has been cleared to throw.
“He feels significantly better but [Dr. Chris] Ahmad wants to give him more time,’’ Cashman said of the Yankees’ 14-game winner. “If there are 10 points to pass, nine of the 10 he has passed.’’
Eovaldi, who hasn’t pitched since Sept. 5, originally was told to rest for two weeks. Now that he won’t try to throw until next week, it’s highly unlikely he will be able to make it back even if the Yankees advance to the ALDS via the wild-card route or winning the AL East.
“I think it was when he pushes hard on it, he feels it then,’’ Girardi said. “Whatever the manual testing they do to test out the elbow for the most part all came out good, but because in one area where if he pushed on it, he felt a little bit something, Doc said, all right, we’ll push it back.’’
After being forced to use Alex Rodriguez as a pinch hitter the past three games at Citi Field where the DH was not allowed, Girardi welcomed Rodriguez back to the lineup Monday night.
“It’s nice to have the DH and not being on pins and needles when the pitcher has to bat,’’ Girardi said.
Rodriguez went 1-for-4 with three strikeouts. During a first-inning at-bat, he fouled a ball off his left ankle and fell to the dirt. Afterward, he said he was OK.
The Yankees are 5-12 against the Blue Jays this season, and those dozen losses are the most in club history. The 1992 Yankees dropped 11 games to the Blue Jays.
Left-handed hitters Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury started in left and center, respectively with different results. Gardner went 0-for-3 and was called out in a crucial eighth-inning spot. Ellsbury went 2-for-4 and drove in a run. Ellsbury has more than one hit in each of the last three games.
Eleven of Greg Bird’s last 15 hits have been extra base hits.
After playing the right-handed hitting Chris Young against the majority of left-handed starters, Girardi sat Young for the second straight game started by Blue Jays ace David Price.
“He has struggled against David Price,’’ Girardi said of Young, who was 1-for-14 against the lefty.
