The Yankees rotation took a big hit on Wednesday with Andy Petitte set to miss at least six weeks after breaking his fibula in his start against the Indians, and CC Sabathia going on the disabled list with a strained left abductor.
Hours after manager Joe Girardi announced that Sabathia went on the 15-day DL , Pettitte took a Casey Kotchman one-hopper off his left leg to lead off the fifth inning. The ball hit Pettitte squarely, sending the lefty to the ground.
He threw three warmup pitches with Girardi and trainer Steve Donohue looking on and stayed in the game. But he came up hobbling on his first pitch to the next batter, Lou Marson and Girardi promptly removed him with the Yankees holding a 2-1 lead. Pettitte was replaced by Cody Eppley.
“No one’s going to feel sorry for us,” Girardi said.
Pettitte, who will be put on a boot, now figures to be out until at least mid-August. The injuries could force the Yankees to be active in the starting pitching trade market. The Cubs’ Matt Garza and Ryan Dempster are available (though Dempster is on the DL at the moment), while the Phillies’ Cole Hamels and the Brewers’ Zack Greinke may hit the market as well. The trade deadline is July 31.
For now, Freddy Garcia will take Pettitte’s spot in the rotation after throwing 2 /13 scoreless innings in the Yankees’ 5-4 win today. Adam Warren will be called up from the minors to start for Sabathia on Friday.
Girardi said the Yankees ace “felt a little tug” during the fourth inning of Sunday night’s start against the Mets at Citi Field. Sabathia did not tell anyone and continued pitching. But the lefty then had a bullpen session Tuesday.
“After the Tuesday session, he knew that it was something more than maybe just a twinge,” Girardi said.
Sabathia alerted the team, and GM Brian Cashman said the pitcher had an MRI exam Tuesday night. The strain is Grade-1, so it’s the least severe.
“We feel that after the All-Star break he’ll be back,” Girardi said.
That’s the lone fortunate part: Sabathia’s injury is not overly serious and that he’ll only miss two starts. Still, Cashman admitted that when Sabathia does come back after the break, he might not be ready to simply start the Yankees’ first game of the second half. Instead, Cashman said Sabathia might have to wait a few games before he’s ready.
“He’s a competitor. He wants to be out there,” Cashman said. “If this were the September stretch run, it would be a different story. But we don’t want to mess with it.”
The news will also remove Sabathia from All-Star consideration. He’s 9-3 with a 3.45 ERA this year, again having a strong season. Sabathia has been brilliant since the Yankees signed him after the 2008 campaign, posting averages of 20 wins and a 3.18 ERA in his first three years in The Bronx.
“There’s no doubt that we’re gonna miss him,” Girardi said, “but we have a pretty experienced club.”