TAMPA — It was another day of playing catch for Masahiro Tanaka on Sunday, but there was some significance to the brief session with pitching coach Larry Rothschild, since it happened a day after Tanaka threw off a mound.

Rothschild was encouraged by what he saw from Tanaka on both days.

“He was good,” Rothschild said of Tanaka’s 20-pitch effort on Saturday. “He didn’t try to push too hard.”

Asked how hard Tanaka threw Saturday, Rothschild said: “I’m not worried about that right now. He wasn’t in midseason form, but he was where he should be.”

And he showed no ill effects Sunday.

“Today he felt good, which is more important,” Rothschild said.

The right-hander likely will have another bullpen session “within the next couple of days.”

The Yankees intend to treat their $175 million investment with kid gloves as he recovers from offseason arthroscopic elbow surgery. They have been careful not to place a timetable on what Tanaka will do this spring or guarantee he’ll be ready at the beginning of the season, focusing instead on how to keep him healthy for a full season for the first time since he arrived from Japan.

Despite the uncertainty, the Yankees have seen some positive signs as they prepare to open camp this week.

“His arm worked well and it didn’t look like there were any problems,’’ Rothschild said of the pitcher who has spent time on the disabled list in both of his major league seasons.

Tanaka waved to reporters as he left Steinbrenner Field on Sunday, and Rothschild said he hadn’t noticed any sense of relief from the 27-year-old that no issues have popped up.

“I think with him, he kind of expects it,’’ Rothschild said. “It just seems like it was routine and, ‘This is what I’m gonna do.’ Until he sees different, he’s gonna progress.’’