Masahiro Tanaka took a big step toward his return for the New York Yankees after throwing 49 pitches in a simulated game on Thursday in Detroit.

Tanaka, who has not played since July 8 because of a right elbow injury, said that he felt no pain after the simulated match where he showcased his entire repertoire.

Though, the 25-year-old, who went 12-4 with a 2.51 ERA in his first 18 starts in the major league, admitted that he still needs a lot of practice time to regain his rhythm and shake the rust off.

"I'm actually still not there yet," Tanaka said on Thursday via ESPN. "I think some of the balls I am throwing I'm still not able to hit my spots. The rust is still there, so I still have some work to do to get back to game-ready."

Tanaka was diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in July. He could have undergone a Tommy John surgery, but the Yankees opted to rehabilitate the injury instead of taking risk with the operation.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi previously said that they are eyeing a September return for Tanaka, and he sees no reason why the right-hander won't be able to pitch again in the major league next month.

"I'm optimistic," Girardi said after the three-inning simulated game. "I haven't seen anything that leads me to believe he won't take the next step. At no point has he said he's felt anything in his arm. I think he has normal soreness after a day like today, but I am optimistic."

Girardi saw a lot of positives from Tanaka on Thursday after the Itami, Japan, native did not hesitate to perform all pitches against batting partner Brendan Ryan.

"He didn't stay away from any pitches, which is positive. He threw his slider, his split, his curveball, both fastballs. We'll continue to develop the arm strength, and hopefully it works," Girardi said of Tanaka via NY Daily News.

Barring any setback, Tanaka could pitch at least three more times in September, which could be vital in the Yankees bid to advance to the playoffs this season.

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