New York Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka, recovering from a strained right and left hamstring, struck out four over five innings in a rehab start with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday night.
Tanaka threw 49 of 69 pitches for strikes against the Buffalo Bisons, the Toronto Blue Jays‘ Triple-A team. He gave up a two-run homer in the first inning but then cruised through the next four innings, retiring 12 batters in a row before being pulled for a new pitcher.
Tanaka’s target is to rejoin the Yankees before the All-Star break in mid-July. He faced minor leaguers last week at the Yankees’ spring training complex in Tampa, Florida, striking out four during the hitless outing.
He was 7-2 with a 4.58 ERA in 13 starts before getting hurt June 8 while running the bases in a game against the New York Mets.