New York Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka on Thursday practiced throwing for the first time since going on the 15-day disabled list with right wrist tendinitis and a mildly strained forearm on April 28.
Tanaka made 50 throws from 18.2 meters (60 feet) before the media entered Yankee Stadium for the team's game against the Baltimore Orioles.
"I'm just going to go day by day," Yankees manager Joe Girardi was quoted as saying on the team's official website. "What happens tomorrow depends on what happens today. Today was good, so we'll take the next step tomorrow and see exactly what he does."
It was a small hurdle to clear for Tanaka, but Girardi said the former Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles ace had come through Thursday's session well and said he would throw again on Friday.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman insisted he was not worried about the team's ace.
"I have no concern on Tanaka," Cashman said. "We feel this is a minor issue that he was dealing with and it's just a timing issue. So give him some rest, and getting back to a flat-ground throwing program will obviously lead to getting him on the mound here."
After throwing again Friday, Tanaka will, according to the report on the website, take the next day off and is expected to make at least one minor league rehab start, although Cashman was not certain how many.
"Some of it is determined by health, some of it is determined by how he looks and if he looks rusty," Cashman said.
Tanaka is 2-1 with a 3.22 ERA in his second year with the Yankees.