Masahiro Tanaka will make his spring debut as he starts for the New York Yankees in their game against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Tanaka, who was limited to 20 starts last season after suffering a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, has been taking a cautious approach this offseason in the hope of avoiding Tommy John surgery.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that they will have a chance to gauge the status of Tanaka on Thursday, but he also added that they liked what they saw from the Japanese pitcher in recent bullpen sessions.

"We're pretty happy where he is at, but we need to build him up now," Girardi said via New York Post. "It was good that he started two games last year because I think there would have been an even bigger of a deal."

However, there are still fears that Tanaka might eventually undergo Tommy John surgery to repair the injured ligament, but general manager Brian Cashman said that they are not worrying about as they are taking a day-to-day approach when it comes to Tanaka's health.

"It's not in my control whether Tanaka stays healthy for 10 more years or 10 more days," Cashman said via USA Today. "It's not something, quite honestly, I'm going to worry about. If it declares itself in an adverse way, we'll just have to deal with it."

Tanaka, who signed a seven-year deal worth $155 million with the Yankees last year, went 13-5 last season with a 2.77 ERA and 141 strikeouts. The 26-year-old was a strong candidate for AL Rookie of the Year award last season before hurting his elbow.

Meanwhile, the Yankees will have to deal with another blow to their preparation for the upcoming season as reports confirmed that starter Chris Capuano suffered a Grade 2 strain of the right quadriceps.

Capuano, who hurt his right quadriceps during their 10-6 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, will likely start the 2015 MLB season on the disabled list, Girardi told reporters.

With Capuano set to miss several games in the upcoming season, Girardi said that they are looking at the possibility of starting Adam Warren, Esmil Rogers or Bryan Mitchell in place of the 36-year-old pitcher.

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