The latest news regarding Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka seems to be trending in the right direction a day after he took a scorching line drive off the head from Giancarlo Stanton.
Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner told reporters on Sunday that Tanaka was "walking around acting like his normal self."
"I'm hoping that he's in the clear," Gardner said.
Tanaka is currently being monitored in the concussion protocol and would need to be placed on the seven-day injured list unless he is symptom-free.
A CT scan came back negative on Saturday and the right-hander tweeted that he was "all good" after the scary moment at Yankee Stadium in which he was laying motionless on the ground for nearly 10 minutes before he walked back to the dugout with assistance from trainers.
According to Yankees pitcher James Paxton, who pitched behind an L-screen in his simulated game on Sunday, Stanton's line drive had an exit velocity of 112 mph.
Tanaka, who was pitching in a simulated game in the team's first full workout ahead of the July 23 start date, was not using an L-screen. It is common that a screen would not be used in a simulated game so the pitcher can field his position, but it was also the team's first workout since March.
Jordan Montgomery also used a screen following the incident on Saturday.
Added Paxton: "After yesterday, I just wanted to play it safe."
