Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka underwent arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to remove a bone spur in his right elbow, the team announced.
The bone spur was pre-existing, dating back to his pitching career in Japan before he joined the Yankees in 2014.
The surgery was performed by Dr. David Altchek at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and went as expected, the team said. Typical recovery time includes six weeks of exercise and strengthening, followed by a throwing program. Tanaka is expected to be ready for the start of spring training.
Tanaka finished the regular season 12-7 with a 3.51 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 154 innings. He also pitched the AL wild-card game, where he gave up two earned runs in five innings in New York's loss to Houston.