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In what was a bombshell press conference overall, Brian Cashman revealed Friday afternoon that veteran pitcher and free agent-to-be CC Sabathia underwent knee surgery today
This is the third straight season that Sabathia has required an arthroscopic procedure on his knee after the year finishes up. Combine that with his DL stint in August to rest his knee, which seems to be a requirement for him going forward, and it’s clear that pursuing teams will have to budget in time off for him accordingly.
Given that this is the third time Sabathia’s undergone this surgery, I can’t imagine it would put much of a damper on his readiness for Opening Day. If he receives a contract from the Yankees or some other team, assuming he passes his physical, I would think he’d be on the roster to start the season.
The 38-year-old turned in another strong campaign for New York in 2018. He logged 153 innings, pitching to a 3.65 ERA with a 4.16 FIP. As has been the case since his renaissance, the left-hander nearly paced the league in preventing hard contact.
The balky right knee has been an issue for Sabathia for years now, and as the Yankees face a large amount of uncertainty in their pitching staff for 2019, you wonder if they’re going to continue to put faith in a joint that seems to require a whole host of additional scrutiny and preparation.