What future may hold for Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees

It gets lost in time, but Masahiro Tanaka initially was exactly what the Yankees envisioned after investing $175 million (including a $20 million posting fee to his Japanese team) to land him. He opened the 2014 season 12-4 with a 2.51 ERA, averaging better than a strikeout an inning, parking behind perhaps only Seattle’s Felix Hernandez and the White Sox’s Chris Sale at midseason in the AL Cy Young chase.

Then a small tear in his right elbow was discovered.

The fear — and it would linger beyond 2014 — was Tommy John surgery would be needed. Which makes what he has become ironic. Tanaka never again was the consistent high-end ace of the 2014 first half. But he has become among the game’s more…