New York Yankees: CC Sabathia’s injury a concern for pitching staff

The New York Yankees have faced a ton of adversity this year with their pitching staff. As playoffs loom, it continues to be a major concern for the Bronx Bombers.

CC Sabathia is on his last leg, literally.

Since having knee surgery in 2014, he hasn’t been the same, despite showing flashes of promise over the past two seasons. Now, in his 19th major league season, the southpaw is limping toward the finish line.

Sabathia, the former ace of the Yankees’ staff, returned to New York Wednesday to have his right knee examined. The good news for Sabathia is that no additional damage was found. The bad news is that the trip was necessary.

The six-time All-Star has more mileage on his arm than any active pitcher. He leads active pitchers in innings pitched – though Bartolo Colon is a close second – and wins. He’s had eight seasons in which he tossed more than 200 innings, including five consecutive ones from 2009 to 2014.

Sabathia’s dominance dwindled following the 2012 season, the last time the Yankees played in a playoff series. Since that year, the lefty has posted a 4.47 ERA, which is higher than his ERA in any individual season from his rookie year until 2012.

Needless to say, he’s not the same pitcher New York purchased in 2009. And his injury scare should be a concern for manager Joe Girardi, who is dealing with a ton of adversity with this year’s pitching staff.

The skipper already had to make a difficult choice after the team acquired Jaime Garcia and Sonny Gray by bumping rookie Jordan Montgomery out of the rotation. This all came after Michael Pineda underwent Tommy John surgery.

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Girardi told the press that Montgomery should make a return to the big league club Sunday to fill in for Sabathia. If the veteran can’t stay in shape, the youngster will likely get his spot in the rotation for the long run.

But Montgomery’s usage, and Luis Severino’s usage for that matter, brings about another concern. Severino, arguably the Yankees’ most reliable starter all season, has hurled more than 100 pitches in 15 of his 22 starts, including his previous five outings. Considering that the 23-year-old has never pitched more than 200 innings in a season, he may need to be skipped a few rounds in the rotation.

However, with New York losing ground in the American League East every day, the debate is centered on whether to try and win now or prepare for October. The Yankees are just 3-6 in August, with their offense in the midst of a slump compared to its production in the first half. Just ask Sonny Gray, who’s received one run of support combined in last his two starts.

Girardi has multiple options. He can keep all of his pitchers in the rotation and hope for the best. He can attempt to salvage his young arms by skipping their go. Or he can also create a six-man rotation if Sabathia is indeed healthy, or even use Luis Cessa – I know, yikes.

Even though a six-man rotation would make sense, drastic times call for drastic measures. At this point, even with a stacked bullpen, New York needs wins more than anything. That means putting its best pitchers on the bump each game.

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Until the Yankees get a comfortable lead in the Wild Card chase or catch up to the Red Sox, all of their current starting pitchers will need to make their rounds, and do well. That’s the only way they might be able to earn a playoff berth.