Masahiro Tanaka felt a sense of relief after tossing a ball 25 times in the Yankee Stadium outfield Monday as he attempts to avoid Tommy John surgery and return for the playoff push.

"Good," said Tanaka in English, bypassing his translator, upon the initial question asking how he felt.

On Monday, Tanaka tested his right elbow for the first time since he received a platelet-rich plasma injection July 14 in the hope that he could avoid surgery for a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament.

Tanaka, who had tosses of 60 feet on Monday, will throw again Tuesday.

"I think it all went well," Tanaka said.