BALTIMORE — Since he was selected to the AL All-Star team Masahiro Tanaka, certainly has the right to join the festivities in Minneapolis starting Monday and soak up the experience.
There are many 25-year-olds who would figure two days away from the treatment table wouldn’t make a difference in a program designed to rehab a torn ulnar collateral ligament. However, Tanaka is eschewing the All-Star experience for the Yankees’ trainer’s room at Yankee Stadium.
“He is just going to do treatment,’’ manager Joe Girardi said of his 12-game winner, who the club hopes can return in six weeks and avoid the dreaded Tommy John surgery. “He decided he wants to treat his arm and try to get ready.’’
Tanaka will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection Monday which is the first step in helping the tear heal.
In addition to his electric stuff and pin-point control the Yankees were impressed with Tanaka’s maturity when they courted him as a free agent last winter.
Nothing has changed their mind.
“He understands his responsibilities, it’s really, really good,’’ Girardi said.
Brian McCann fouled a ball off his right foot in the seventh inning of the Yankees’ 3-0 win against the Orioles, and limped around before getting back into the batter’s box and lining a single to center.
Afterward the catcher had the foot X-rayed and they came back negative.
“It hit the bone on the first toe,’’ said McCann, who battled a problem on top of the left foot last week. “When I put pressure on it, it was bad. I was hoping for the best.’’
McCann was the DH, going 3-for-4. While McCann said he could catch Sunday, Girardi might want to pair Francisco Cervelli with Chase Whitley and use McCann at the DH again to reduce the stress on the foot.
The Yankees had two runners thrown out at the plate to end innings Saturday but Girardi didn’t see a trend developing.
“They were with two outs and you take chances with two outs,’’ Girardi said of Derek Jeter getting thrown out at the plate in the third and Jacoby Ellsbury in the seventh.
Since Whitley wasn’t needed in Saturday’s game he was named Sunday’s starter.
“I will be aggressive like I was Thursday [in relief],’’ Whitley said. “As opposed to passive. As a starter you want to give the team length but I have to be aggressive and trust my stuff and have the mindset of a reliever.’’
Since Girardi didn’t hear anything negative about Michael Pineda’s bullpen session Friday, he was taking that as a positive.
“No news is good news,’’ Girardi said. “I didn’t get any news.’’
Pineda threw 25 pitches in the bullpen and spun a few breaking balls on flat ground. The right-hander is attempting to come back from a terres major muscle problem in the upper right back that has kept him out since April.
Lefty Jeff Francis was activated before the game and righty Matt Daley was designated for assignment.
Francis was acquired from the A’s with cash for a player to be named later.
A former starter, Francis was working out of Oakland’s pen when designated for assignment.
“I wouldn’t go deep but I could manage,’’ Francis said when asked if he could start. “I won’t put a limit on innings. I came here to help the team win.’’
The 33-year-old Francis is 70-80 with a 4.95 ERA in 238 big league appearances; 217 starts. This season he was 0-2 with a 5.89 ERA in 10 games (one start) this season.
Francis has been to Yankee Stadium but never participated in a game.
“It’s a place with a lot of history and a team with a lot of history,’’ Francis said. “I am looking forward to it.’’