Yankees’ Masahiro Tanaka struck in head by line drive, taken to hospital

New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka has been taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital for further evaluation and testing after he was drilled on the right side of the head by a Giancarlo Stanton line drive Saturday afternoon.

Tanaka, who was throwing his first simulated game at Yankee Stadium on the team’s first official day of “summer camp” workouts, immediately collapsed on the pitching mound after he was hit.

The 31-year-old right-hander was down for about five minutes. He was able to walk off the field, through the dugout and into the clubhouse with some assistance by several staffers and trainers.

The team said Tanaka was “alert, responsive and walking under his own power.”

Stanton knelt at the plate as soon as Tanaka was hit, and Yankees players stood by silently as the medical staff rushed over to attend to the starter, who is a key piece of the team’s rotation.

In six seasons with the Yankees, Tanaka is 75-43 with a 3.75 ERA, 947 strikeouts and 200 walks.

The Yankees have already lost one starting pitcher to injury, with Luis Severino having undergone Tommy John surgery in the spring.