Girardi doesn't want to turn Tanaka into 'Spider-Man or Superman' with scans

The health of Masahiro Tanaka is obviously of the highest concern for the New York Yankees, but manager Joe Girardi has his limits regarding how far he will go to keep him healthy.

Though he hasn't been placed on the disabled list, Tanaka has been uncharacteristically erratic in his recent starts, allowing 17 earned runs in just 11 2/3 innings over his last three outings. But despite his struggles, Girardi believes there's nothing physically wrong with his ace, and he doesn't want to subject him to the dangers of radiation from medical scans in order to prove it.

"You just don't scan people, you just don't light them up inside. We don't want to turn him into Spider-Man or Superman or something like that," Girardi said, according to Newsday's Erik Boland. "Radiation is something you have to deal with, so, no, you just don't scan people to scan them. We have to do that in the airport and none of us like it.”

While its understandable that Girardi is cautious of subjecting players to radiation-related tests unless there's a legitimate health concern, it should be noted players undergo MRIs and X-rays on a daily basis across the big leagues.

Major League Baseball, however, has yet to see a pitcher throw a pitch that's faster than a speeding bullet or an outfielder bringing down fly balls with meticulously structured web traps.