Tanaka apologizes for injury, vows to return 'as soon as possible'

Masahiro Tanaka issued an apology to the New York Yankees, his teammates and fans Friday after being diagnosed with a partial ligament tear in his elbow.

Tanaka's injury will likely sideline the right-hander for at least six weeks while he undertakes a rehab program recommended by team doctors. General manager Brian Cashman told reporters Thursday that surgery remains an option if Tanaka's ulnar collateral ligament does not improve.

In a statement released Friday, Tanaka apologized for suffering the injury:

As recently announced from the team, I will be going through some treatment and rehab on my injured elbow over the next several weeks. I give everything I have every time I take the ball. With that, I also know that there will always be a risk of injury when playing this game that I love. Right now I feel that the most important thing for me is to keep my head up, remain focused on the task at hand and devote all my energy into healing the injury in order to come back strong.

I want to apologize to the Yankees organization, my teammates and our fans for not being able to help during this time. I accept this injury as a challenge, but I promise to do everything I can to overcome this setback and return to the mound as soon as possible.

The 25-year-old rookie leads the Yankees in ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, innings pitched, wins and quality starts.