Tanaka slated to return Sunday

St. Petersburg, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters Tuesday that Masahiro Tanaka is tentatively slated to make his first major league start in more than two months Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Tanaka, sidelined since early July with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, tossed five scoreless innings in an instructional league game at the Yankees' spring training facility in Tampa on Monday.

The All-Star hurler threw 65 pitches during the outing, allowing six hits and striking out four against a group of minor league hitters.

Girardi said he plans to have Tanaka throw between 70-to-75 pitches in Sunday's start.

"Obviously he's got to throw his bullpen again, which I don't suspect will be a problem, but he's got to do that," Girardi said. "He's pitching if he's OK."

New York had been hopeful that Tanaka, who last pitched on July 5, would be able to return before the conclusion of the regular season.

Tanaka, who went 24-0 with the Rakuten Golden Eagles in his native Japan last season before signing a seven-year, $155 million contract with the Yankees in January, was having an outstanding first season in the majors prior to being shelved. The 25-year-old won 11 of his first 12 decisions and owns a 12-4 record with a 2.51 ERA over 18 overall starts.