Offseason reports on Masahiro Tanaka have been positive, according to New York Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild.

"So far he's felt good," Rothschild said. "He's had a good winter."

Tanaka is throwing and doing his normal conditioning program in Japan. The right-hander missed 2½ months while rehabilitating a partially torn UCL in his throwing elbow and returned for two late-September starts.

"The last start he didn't pitch well, but he didn't feel bad," Rothschild said. "We've got to manage a few guys in spring training and try and get them through healthy, and he's one of them."

The Yankees signed Tanaka to a seven-year, $155 million deal in January 2014.