Progressing Masahiro Tanaka forcing Yankees to make rotation decision soon

Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka could be off the disabled list by next week.

PHILADELPHIA — It’s looking like Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka will be off the disabled list and back pitching before the All-Star break … maybe even as soon as next week.

And when Tanaka returns, the Yankees will have to decide which of their two rookie starters will remain in their rotation, Domingo German or Jonathan Loaisiga.

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Recovering from strains to his right and left hamstrings, Tanaka threw a bullpen session for the second time in three days on Tuesday at the Yankees’ minor-league complex in Tampa.

“Everything went really well,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before his club’s interleague game against the Phillies.

Tanaka threw 30 pitches, one more than he threw on Sunday in St. Petersburg, Fla., before the Yankees-Tampa Bay Rays game at Tropicana Field.

Next for Tanaka probably is a simulated game on Friday in Tampa, then after he’ll likely pitch next Wednesday either in a minor-league game or for the Yankees. Either way, by having Tanaka throw a sim game on Friday, he’ll be on turn to start one of the Yankees’ doubleheader games in Baltimore on Monday, July 9.

Boone did say “it’s possible” that Tanaka will be back by next week.

As for the Yankees’ looming decision on which rookie starter to keep, it seemed like a no-brainer until this week when German struggled in a six-run, three-inning outing against Tampa Bay on Sunday and Loaisiga followed by pitching a one-hitter over 5 1/3 shutout innings in a win over the Phillies on Monday night.

German is 2-4 with a 5.40 ERA in 14 games, the last nine as a starter, while Loaisiga is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in three starts since double-jumping from Double-A Trenton to the Yankees after Tanaka went on the DL on June 9. The pitcher hurt himself running from third base to home plate during an interleague game against the Mets at Citi Field on June 8.

Tanaka is 7-2 with a 4.58 ERA in 13 starts.

Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.