Whenever veteran New York Yankees righty Masahiro Tanaka makes his debut during the pandemic-shortened MLB season, he'll have some extra protection. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Yankees' Masahiro Tanaka to wear protective insert after line drive incident

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 7/23/20

Whenever veteran New York Yankees righty Masahiro Tanaka makes his debut during the pandemic-shortened MLB season, he'll have some extra protection.

Tanaka told ESPN on Thursday that he wore a hard-shell protective cap insert during a recent batting practice session. The 31-year-old added that he intends to wear the shell for regular-season action.

Tanaka was involved in a scary incident during a July 4 scrimmage when he was struck with a line drive off the bat of teammate and New York slugger Giancarlo Stanton (Warning: Some may find footage of the incident disturbing.):

Tanaka went to the hospital but was released hours later. He returned to the New York clubhouse the following day.

While Tanaka isn't available on Opening Day, he could take the bump for the Yankees versus the Boston Red Sox on July 31. He's accumulated a regular-season record of 75-43 with the Yankees since 2014.

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