Masahiro Tanaka will throw a bullpen session on Saturday as the hope is still that he could pitch again for the New York Yankees this season.

Joe Girardi said unless Tanaka has a serious setback, he will pitch somewhere before shutting things down for the winter.

"He has to throw," Girardi said. "You can't wait until next spring.

"If you shut him down, it's surgery. It's not like it's going to be, 'Well, let's see how it is next year.' We're going to proceed and it's either going to be he's healthy or he needs surgery.''

If Tanaka can't pitch with his elbow ligament injury, it means he'll have to undergo Tommy John surgery and sit out a full year.