Yankees get good news on CC Sabathia’s injury
Aaron Judge may not be close to rejoining the Yankees lineup, but fortunately for Aaron Boone, there’s good news about CC Sabathia rejoining the rotation.
When CC Sabathia first hit the disabled list he told Yankees fans he only expected to miss one start. Given his age and body composition many fans thought that was a bit optimistic. Fortunately for Aaron Boone, it appears Sabathia knows his body better than anyone.
Sabathia was able to throw his normal bullpen session today and reported no pain in his knee. That gives team officials real optimism that he’ll be able to make his next scheduled start. No firm decisions will be made until Sabathia is reevaluated tomorrow, but all signs point to him rejoining the active roster as soon as possible.
That means Brian Cashman and company won’t have to make a tough decision on who should get his next start. The team tried to give Luis Cessa an opportunity to make a case for a spot in the big leagues, but he was shelled and promptly sent back to the minors in his start in Sabathia’s place. It’s highly unlikely he was going to be given another opportunity in the Bronx.
CC Sabathia threw his normal between starts bullpen session today and said his knee feels good. Yanks hope was that he would miss only one turn and signs pointing in that direction right now.
— Sweeny Murti (@SweenyMurti) August 17, 2018
Many Yankee fans would much prefer to see Chance Adams or Justus Sheffield come up and get an opportunity. Now those prospects will have to wait a bit longer for their respective call-ups. Everyone in the organization understands that a healthy Sabathia does a lot to stabilize the starting rotation and the Yankees clubhouse.
Sabathia isn’t just larger than life in terms of his sheer size. His personality and sheer force of will helps galvanize this team when times get tough. He may be worth more as a leader than as a starting pitcher at this point in his career. Sabathia’s impact in the clubhouse is palpable.
Of course, Boone would like to see him perform well on the field too. The rotation is currently in disarray due to the struggles of Luis Severino. The team seems lost without their ace. Sabathia can’t replicate Severino when he’s on, but he can help provide stability once every five days. That will be a welcome bonus for the club.
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The upcoming returns of Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez will be more widely celebrated by Yankee fans, but the return of Sabathia shouldn’t be overlooked. He can do a lot to help this team get headed in the right direction again.