Masahiro Tanaka is expected to start for the New York Yankees against the Seattle Mariners next week after missing nearly five weeks.

Tanaka last pitched in the Major Leagues on April 23 and has been on the disabled list since April 29 with tendinitis in his right wrist and a strain of the right forearm.

Joe Girardi says he'll likely take the mound on Wednesday or Thursday.

"We'll have a heart-to-heart talk with him, how he feels about where he's at," Girardi said. "You don't want someone going out there if they don't quite feel that they're ready to go. In a perfect world, he would start somewhere in Seattle."