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C.C. Sabathia

Yankees Activate C.C. Sabathia From Injured List

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The Yankees have activated southpaw C.C. Sabathia from the injured list, as per a club press release.  Left-hander Stephen Tarpley was optioned to Triple-A last night to create a 25-man roster spot for Sabathia, who is set to start today’s game against the White Sox.

Sabathia underwent both a minor knee surgery and an angioplasty during the offseason, leading the Yankees to make the IL placement in order to give the 38-year-old time to properly ramp up his preparation.  He technically began the season on the active roster, in order to get a five-game suspension out of the way (Sabathia was issued the suspension for hitting Jesus Sucre with a pitch in a game late last year) before he hit the IL on April 3.

Now, Sabathia is ready to begin what will be his 19th and final Major League season.  The veteran re-signed with New York on a one-year, $8MM deal in early November, as there was never much doubt that Sabathia would don the pinstripes one more time.  Though the Yankees will monitor Sabathia’s innings and usage as a nod to his age and injury history, he has continued to provide solid results in the rotation.  Sabathia has a 3.76 ERA, 7.7 K/9 rate, and 2.48 K/BB rate over 481 1/3 innings since the start of the 2016 season.

Sabathia’s return patches at least one hole in the Yankees’ injury-riddled roster, though the team still has a whopping 11 players on the injured list.  Rotation-wise, Sabathia joins Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, J.A. Happ in the starting five, while Domingo German continues to fill in for the sidelined Luis Severino.

Injury Notes: Indians, Lindor, Brewers, Jeffress, Yankees, Andujar

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Lower-body injuries have kept the Indians’ starting middle infield – shortstop Francisco Lindor (high left ankle sprain) and second baseman Jason Kipnis (right calf strain) – from taking the field this season. The latter is making progress in his Triple-A rehab assignment, though there’s still no timetable for his return, Mandy Bell of MLB.com writes. Lindor, who’s out until at least late April, is only doing light workouts at the moment, but “he’s getting better every day,” manager Terry Francona said. The Indians will reevaluate Lindor during the upcoming week, Bell reports. The absences of Lindor and Kipnis have forced the Tribe to deploy Eric Stamets, Brad Miller and Max Moroff as their main middle infielders. Unfortunately for Cleveland, those three have produced abysmal results, having combined for a paltry four hits (three singles and a double) in 57 plate appearances.

  • Barring any setbacks in his Triple-A rehab stint, reliever Jeremy Jeffress will rejoin the Brewers next weekend, according to manager Craig Counsell (via Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). The return of Jeffress, who hasn’t debuted this year on account of right shoulder weakness, will be a welcome one for a Milwaukee team that lost fellow late-game option Corey Knebel to season-ending Tommy John surgery last week. The reigning National League Central champions have nevertheless rolled to a 7-2 start, though their bullpen has lacked a complement to the untouchable Josh Hader. Jeffress filled that role with aplomb in 2018, during which he notched a near-spotless 1.29 ERA with 10.45 K/9, 3.17 BB/9 and a 56.4 percent groundball rate in 76 2/3 innings.
  • Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar expressed optimism earlier this week that he wouldn’t need to undergo season-ending surgery on his right shoulder. Manager Aaron Boone was similarly enthusiastic Saturday, George A. King III of the New York Post relays. While Boone acknowledged that surgery remains an option, he left open the possibility that this injury won’t lead to a long-term absence and added, “We are optimistic just because of the strength he is showing in all his testing.’’ Andujar’s still not swinging a bat, but whether he returns will depend more on how well he throws when he’s cleared to do so, per Boone. Without Andujar and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, the injury-stricken Yankees have turned to veteran second baseman DJ LeMahieu to man third and Tyler Wade to handle the keystone. LeMahieu has thrived in the early portion of a two-year, $24MM contract, whereas Wade has been in over his head thus far in 2019.
  • Left-hander CC Sabathia, yet another Yankee on the injured list, could rejoin the team’s rotation next weekend, Boone said (also via King). In the meantime, the 38-year-old Sabathia – who’s working back from offseason heart surgery – will throw 60 to 70 pitches in a low-level minor league game Monday. Sabathia will bump either Domingo German or Jonathan Loaisiga from the Yankees’ starting five. Both right-handers did well in their initial starts of the season, but neither went past the five-inning mark.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Duffy, Rays, Sabathia

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After chronicling some Blue Jays notes earlier today, let’s take a look around the rest of the American League East…

  • “Unless something completely unanticipated happened,” Dave Dombrowski figures the Red Sox will halt all extension talks by Opening Day, the team president of baseball operations told the media (including Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com).  Most players like to have any negotiations wrapped up before the actual games begin, with Dombrowski also citing his preference for a lack of distractions.  Xander Bogaerts, Rick Porcello, and potentially J.D. Martinez (if he exercises an opt-out clause) are all scheduled for free agency after the season.  Talks with Bogaerts earlier this winter failed to materialize into an extension, while the Sox hadn’t yet discussed a new contract with Porcello as of late February.  Of course, the Red Sox already took care of one major 2019-20 free agent by inking Chris Sale to a new deal that will keep the southpaw in Boston through the 2024 season.
  • Rays third baseman Matt Duffy is likely headed to the IL to begin the season, manager Kevin Cash told reporters (including Eduardo A. Encina and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times).  Duffy has been bothered by a hamstring problem for much of the spring, and will have tests done after he was a late scratch from today’s game lineup.  The versatile Rays shouldn’t have much of a problem filling in for Duffy in the short term, as Joey Wendle, Yandy Diaz, and Daniel Robertson are all options at third base.  Encina and Topkin also think that Duffy’s injury could open the door for Guillermo Heredia to break camp with the team, unless the Rays choose to use the roster spot on an extra pitcher.
  • The Yankees are considering including C.C. Sabathia on their Opening Day roster in order to immediately get the veteran lefty’s five-game suspension out of the way, George A. King III of the New York Post writes.  Sabathia is already slated for a stint on the injured list as he recovers from an offseason angioplasty and a knee operation, though he would head to the IL after the first five games are up.  The downside for the Yankees is that they would have to play with just 24 active players during the course of Sabathia’s suspension, though there is an off-day within those first five games if any pitchers need some early recovery.

Luis Severino Likely Out Until May

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Yankees general manager Brian Cashman provided a more concrete timetable for right-hander Luis Severino to return from his current shoulder troubles Friday, revealing that the organization doesn’t expect Severino to pitch in a big league game until sometime in May (Twitter link via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). Severino is currently in the midst of a two-week shutdown stemming from inflammation in his right shoulder’s rotator cuff. He’s expected to begin playing catch next week.

There’s more optimistic news surrounding fellow starter CC Sabathia, as Cashman indicated that the veteran left-hander could pitch in big league games in the month of April (via Hoch). Beyond his recovery from offseason knee surgery and an angioplasty procedure, Sabathia is still facing a five-game suspension for throwing at now-former Rays catcher Jesus Sucre late in the 2018 season. Cashman suggested that the team may carry Sabathia on the Opening Day roster, which would allow the clock on said suspension to begin sooner.

Given today’s updates from the general manager, it seems that the Yankees will spend at least a month of the season patching together the rotation behind healthy starters James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka and J.A. Happ. The Yankees have depth in the form of Domingo German, Jonathan Loaisiga, Chance Adams and the out-of-options Luis Cessa, and the frequent off-days baked into the early-season schedule should aid the team as well. The Yankees (like all clubs) won’t technically need a fifth starter for the first couple of weeks because of those off days, which could at least help them patch the gap until Sabathia is ready to take the hill.

Still, the timetable on Severino is an unwelcome one — particularly if there are any setbacks or lingering complications from his current shoulder issue. While the Yankees do have the depth to navigate the early absences of Severino and Sabathia, they’ll also continue to be speculatively linked to remaining free agents such as Gio Gonzalez and Dallas Keuchel until that pair has come off the boar and signed with a new organization. Either hurler would be a boon to the projected Opening Day rotation, but signing either would also give the Yankees six legitimate MLB starters for what figures to be five rotation spots if the entire group were to become healthy at the same time. There are also luxury-tax implications to consider; the Yankees’ current contracts bring their luxury-tax ledger to $226MM, per Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez, meaning they would pay a 32 percent tax on any theoretical free-agent signing.

Cashman, Boone On Starting Rotation, Ellsbury

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6:55pm: Manager Aaron Boone also spoke to the media today, revealing what many had already expected: Sabathia isn’t likely to be ready for the start of the season, either (link via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com).

“He had his second ’pen that went well [on Wednesday],” Boone said of Sabathia, who got a late start to Spring Training following offseason knee surgery and an angioplasty. “I certainly don’t expect him for the start of the season. It may be a couple of weeks in, if everything keeps going according to plan.”

Despite those maladies, the Yankees expect to use internal options like German, Loaisiga and others to round out the rotation while Severino and Sabathia mend in late March and early April.

3:05pm: Yankees GM Brian Cashman chatted with the media today, discussing in particular the team’s stance on its rotation depth. As Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record tweets, the veteran exec says he’s generally pleased with the existing slate of options.

It seems the Yanks aren’t terribly concerned about the outlook for staff ace Luis Severino, who’s laying low after experiencing some shoulder discomfort. Even if he isn’t expected to miss a lengthy stretch, though, some would argue that depth was a preexisting concern given the past health issues of some key members on the staff.

Cashman says he “like[s] the personnel” already on hand, downplaying the likelihood of a new outside acquisition. “Can’t rule anything out but the main focus is what we’ve got,” he explained.

The Yanks have already added three starters over the winter, re-signing J.A. Happ and CC Sabathia while acquiring James Paxton. Still, rumors have persisted that the Yanks are still kicking around the possibility of adding another arm. Free agent Gio Gonzalez popped up again in trade rumors last night and remains a hypothetical target.

Cashman’s true degree of interest in exploring the market is tough to surmise based upon his comments. There are certainly some plausible options on hand, with Domingo German, Jonathan Loaisiga, Luis Cessa, and Chance Adams seemingly being the likeliest to stake a claim.

In other news, Cashman touched upon the status of outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who will report to Yankees camp in ten days or so. (Via Brendan Kuty of NJ.com, via Twitter.) At that point, the team will take a closer look at the veteran, who never appeared in competitive action last season. Ellsbury has dealt with a dizzying variety of ailments of late, with plantar fasciitis seemingly to blame for his current absence.

CC Sabathia Officially Announces Retirement After 2019 Season

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In a press conference in front of the Steinbrenners, most of the Yankee roster and his wife and kids, C.C. Sabathia has officially announced his intentions to retire at the conclusion of the 2019 season.

Included in a statement released by the team was written statements from a wide-ranging collection of voices, including Derek Jeter, Joe Girardi, LeBron James, Fat Joe, Steve Kerr, the major of Sabathia’s hometown Bob Sampayan, Tiki Barber and more. It’s quite the show of support for Sabathia, whose storied career will come to an end after 2019, his 19th year in the league. In a career that included stops with the Indians, Brewers and Yankees, Sabathia has thus far amassed 246 wins in 3,470 innings across 538 regular season appearances, all starts. Presently, he trails Bartolo Colon by one win for the lead among active players.

Sabathia is a 6-time All-Star and American League Cy Young award winner in 2007. He was named MVP of the ALCS in 2009 after going 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA in helping the Yankees down the Los Angeles Angels to win the pennant.  The Yanks, of course, won the World Series that season, with Sabathia earning his keep in two World Series starts against the Phillies, though the Yanks split the two games in which Sabathia started. Though Sabathia’s career can largely be viewed as a two-part story – the first part in Cleveland, the second with the Yankees – his most memorable performance might be the work he put in for half a season in Milwaukee in 2008. He famously went 11-2 down the stretch with a 1.65 ERA and an insane 7 complete games and three shutouts in 17 starts. Going on short rest multiple times, Sabathia put on a show of endurance and durability plucked from a different era. In doing so, he also became the only pitcher of the Modern Era (since 1900) to record 120 strikeouts with two teams in a single season.

We could spend all day lauding Sabathia’s many accolades, and he’s not done yet. For now, Sabathia is fifth in AL history with 2,858 strikeouts, the most ever by a lefty. He is the active leader in that category, as well as innings pitched and quality starts. He has a good chance of overtaking Colon at some point this season for the active lead in wins. The Yankees are likely to closely monitor Sabathia’s workload this season, though he continues to pitch well deep into his thirties, taking 29 turns last year with a 3.65 ERA in 153 innings. Today’s announcement grants Sabathia, 38, the opportunity of a farewell tour as he makes his final starts in ballparks around the league.

CC Sabathia Cleared To Resume Baseball Activities

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Veteran lefty CC Sabathia gave Yankees fans some cause for concern when he underwent an angioplasty last month, but the team announced today that followup exams of Sabathia went well. Per the Yankees’ release, Sabathia “has now been cleared to begin working out, which will include baseball activities.”

Sabathia, 38, re-signed with the Yankees on a one-year, $8MM contract early in the offseason, agreeing to return to the Bronx for what will be the final season of his illustrious career. The prognosis at the time of his procedure was reportedly “excellent,” and the quick clearance for Sabathia to resume working out and performing baseball activities speaks to that. In all likelihood, then, the left-hander should be up to speed for Spring Training and on schedule for the Opening Day roster.

Recently, the bit of uncertainty surrounding Sabathia was cited by Yankees general manager Brian Cashman as a consideration as he mulls trade offers for right-hander Sonny Gray. Cashman told reporters over the weekend that Sabathia’s situation “has given us pause,” suggesting that he’s at least considered holding Gray into the season. Of course, the Yankees have plenty of other depth options behind Luis Severino, James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka and J.A. Happ even if Gray is traded. Domingo German, Jonathan Loaisiga, Chance Adams and Luis Cessa all started games for the Yankees last season, and lefty Jordan Montgomery could return from Tommy John surgery at some point late in the summer.

Regardless of its impact on any future Yankees maneuverings, the Sabathia update is a welcome one for the Yankees. While the former AL Cy Young winner clearly isn’t the ace he was at his peak, Sabathia has nonetheless recorded three straight seasons of sub-4.00 ERA ball with the Yankees. From 2016-18, he pitched to a 3.76 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 481 1/3 innings — with last year’s 3.65 ERA, 4.16 FIP, 8.2 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 all being his best marks in that three-year stretch.

CC Sabathia Undergoes Angioplasty

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Yankees southpaw CC Sabathia recently underwent an angioplasty and had a stent placed, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription link). Thankfully, “his prognosis is excellent,” per the report.

Angioplasties are utilized to clear blockages in a coronary artery, with the stent functioning to maintain a clear path for blood flow. It’s an oft-performed surgery, but one that’s not commonly performed on professional athletes.

Fortunately, Sabathia is not expected to face any particular impediments to his baseball career. He’s slated to pitch for one more season after signing a one-year, $8MM deal to return to the Yankees for the 2019 campaign.

Given the outlook, there’s no real reason to think the Yankees’ plans for the winter will be altered. That said, Sabathia will have been sidelined from part of his offseason work and still needs to be cleared to resume full activities, so there’s a bit of uncertainty. On the other hand, the southpaw is said to be feeling better physically than he did before the procedure, which (per Rosenthal) “figures to benefit Sabathia in his cardiovascular work.”

Yankees Pay CC Sabathia $500K Bonus For 2018 Season

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It largely goes without saying that the Yankees enjoy a warm relationship with veteran lefty CC Sabathia, but the point was driven home again today. As Ronald Blum of the Associated Press reports, the club recently paid Sabathia a $500K bonus for his work in 2018 that was not technically required by his contract.

You may recall that Sabathia was tossed from a late-September start — his final of the season — for plunking an opponent in retaliation. When he did so, Sabathia cost himself a clear shot at reaching his 155th inning on the season and thereby triggering a $500K bonus. He also endeared himself yet further to his teammates and got his money’s worth on the way off the mound.

It turns out that the Yanks quietly slipped Sabathia a check for the $500K even though the incentive provision was not actually triggered. That’s but a fraction of the monstrous sum the organization has paid the lefty over the years. It seems that pushes him past the $216MM mark over ten years in the Bronx, with another $8MM still to come for his 2019 efforts after the sides lined up on their fourth separate contractual arrangement.

Still, it’s a nice chunk of change. Sabathia’s rep says that the southpaw “was very appreciative.” Yankees GM Brian Cashman indicated that “it was something that we did very private and weren’t looking to publicize.” As Blum notes, the existence of the payment was only sussed out because of the team’s luxury tax filings.

Yankees, CC Sabathia Agree To One-Year Deal

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TODAY: The deal has been announced by the Yankees.

YESTERDAY, 6:53pm: Sabathia confirmed on Brandon Steiner’s podcast earlier this week that he plans for 2019 to be his final season.

5:31pm: The two sides are, in fact, in agreement on a contract, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports (on Twitter). The deal is pending a physical.

5:24pm: The Yankees and left-hander CC Sabathia are working through the “final details” of what will be a one-year, $8MM contract for the 2019 season, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). Sabathia, according to Sherman, had little interest in exploring the open market and instead preferred to quickly hammer out a one-year pact to return to the Bronx for what could very well be the final season of his illustrious career. Sabathia is represented by Kyle Thousand of Roc Nation Sports.

CC Sabathia | Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Sabathia, 38, will slot back into the Yankees’ rotation behind Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka, though the team will surely be in the market to add some additional rotation help. Lefty J.A. Happ is set to hit the open market, while fellow southpaw Jordan Montgomery will miss a significant chunk of the 2019 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery earlier this year. Top prospect Justus Sheffield headlines the team’s internal options, with righties Chance Adams, Jonathan Loaisiga and Domingo German also serving as depth. Sonny Gray, too, remains in the organization for now, but general manager Brian Cashman has indicated that expects to find a trade partner for the change-of-scenery candidate.

The Yankees, though, who dipped back under the luxury tax threshold this season, will undoubtedly be in the mix for any top-end starters that could be available this winter. On the free-agent market, that includes lefties Patrick Corbin, Dallas Keuchel, Happ and perhaps Japanese southpaw Yusei Kikuchi. The trade market could yet bear further enticing options, with recent reports indicating that the likes of Corey Kluber and James Paxton could become available.

Sabathia may not be the dominant arm that he once was, but the crafty veteran still gave the Yankees a strong 2018 season and would be a fine fifth starter behind the presumptive external options the Yankees plan to add. Sabathia, after all, notched a 3.65 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 1.12 HR/9 and a 44.4 percent ground-ball rate over the life of 29 starts and 153 innings this past season. His swinging-strike and chase rates were the best they’d been since 2012, and his fastball velocity still checked in a bit north of 90 mph — roughly in line with his past four seasons.

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