Another one bites the dust as the New York Yankees placed CC Sabathia on the IL Thursday.
When one returns, another one seems to bite the dust every time. This time, it was not a surprise as to who ended up on the injured list.
On Thursday afternoon, the New York Yankees Twitter account reported that CC Sabathia was the latest victim of the IL. In a corresponding move, the Yankees recalled Nestor Cortes Jr.
Prior to today's game, the Yankees placed LHP CC Sabathia on the 10-day IL with right knee inflammation.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 23, 2019
Prior to today’s game, the Yankees recalled LHP Nestor Cortes Jr. (#67) from @swbrailriders.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 23, 2019
Honestly, this is a move that shouldn’t shock Yankees fans who have followed along the past few seasons. Sabathia will get a cortisone shot in his knee, missing one or two starts and return to form until the knee starts barking again.
Seriously, they knew this when they signed him. This time, however, it happened much earlier than expected.
Sabathia may be 3-1 on the season but he’s struggled a bit as of late. In his last start against the lowly Orioles, he allowed four runs, including two home runs, with three of those runs coming in the fifth inning alone.
He has, however, put together some gems against tough opponents, including his May 17 start against the Tampa Bay Rays where he allowed just one run in six strong innings of work.
The struggle now is finding a suitable replacement. Normally this would be Jonathan Loaisiga but he has found himself sitting on the IL for a bit of time now. According to the Yankees, it’s time to work with the opener.
According to multiple reports, it seems that Chad Green will be the most likely to fill this role for the time being.
This injury only makes James Paxton’s upcoming return all the more vital. The Yankees need that strong lefty presence in their rotation and if Paxton can return to full health, he will have a huge impact for this team.
So CC Sabathia is down, Nestor Cortes Jr. is back up. The roller-coaster ride of a season continues.
