Newsday Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka has a partially torn ligament in his right elbow, general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday. Tanaka, who went on the disabled list on Wednesday with right elbow inflammation, saw three doctors in Seattle, who all made the diagnosis. Cashman said the Yankees hope Tanaka can return after six weeks of rehab but did not rule out the possibility of season-ending Tommy John surgery. He said the surgery would be likely if rehab doesn’t work. Tanaka will also have a platelet-rich plasma injection on Monday in New York. Cashman said the tear in Tanaka’s ligament is a new injury and did not show up on his January MRI prior to him signing a seven-year, $155-million megadeal.

This is a potential devastating injury for the New York Yankees. The team is six games under .500 when Tanaka does not start the game, he has essentially been a one man starting rotation, and the Yankees are in big trouble without their ace. I hear Cole Hamels is available on the trade market, and the Yankees are desperate for a starting pitcher, it might be time to ramp up pursuit.