LAKELAND, Fla. — CC Sabathia has been a Yankee for six years and worked Opening Day every season.
Now, coming off right knee surgery and being brought along slowly in spring training, the veteran left-hander’s string of Opening Day assignments is in jeopardy of being snapped.
With Masahiro Tanaka and Sabathia being watched closely during the exhibition season, manager Joe Girardi hasn’t decided which pitcher will face the Blue Jays on April 6 at Yankee Stadium.
However, the manager hinted Friday it might not be Sabathia.
“We still have plenty of time to iron it out. That’s what we’re trying to do,” Girardi said. “But a lot of it depends on Tanaka and CC and where we think they’re at. That’s the bottom line. The fact that we haven’t announced anything is because we haven’t gotten them built up enough to feel comfortable so that they’re ready to go.”
Asked if it was fair to say he is considering not using Sabathia for the plum assignment, Girardi pointed out the plan taken by pitching coach Larry Rothschild and the medical staff since camp opened.
“The thing is about CC, we took it slow. If we hadn’t taken it slow, it might be different. But I’ve got to make sure he’s ready,’’ Girardi said. “A lot of times, it’s a big story for who’s the Opening Day starter. But after Opening Day, does anyone really care? I think it’s a bigger story who’s the Game 1 starter in the playoffs. That’s a bigger story to me. But I understand why it’s a big story, because it’s Opening Day, and it is a little something that goes with it. But I think when players look back on their career, they’re not going to say, ‘I was the Opening Day starter 11 days instead of 12.’ ”
Earlier this week, following his first spring start, Sabathia, who has drawn 11 Opening Day assignments, said he was more interested in being a Game 1 starter in the playoffs than working the first of 162 regular-season games.
“I think his concern is to be ready. That’s his biggest concern. He wants to make sure that he is where he should be in that first week of the season,’’ Girardi said of Sabathia, who was asked if he cared and said he didn’t.
Using Tanaka, providing his right elbow holds up, on Opening Day allows Girardi to give his ace five days of rest instead of the normal four because April 7 is dark on the Yankees’ schedule.
Sabathia’s next spring outing is Sunday against the Mets in Port St. Lucie.
With Michael Pineda and Nathan Eovaldi expected to be the third and fourth starters, the search for a fifth guy continued Friday at Joker Marchant Stadium, where Adam Warren started against the Tigers and did nothing to hurt his cause of shifting from the bullpen to the rotation.
“That was the best I felt this spring, I feel like I am getting close,’’ said Warren, who is competing with Esmil Rogers for the final spot in the rotation. In five innings the right-hander allowed a run, four hits, fanned three and featured a fastball in the mid-90s. “I don’t think there is added pressure on me, but it feels like real games. You want results.’’
Girardi isn’t worried that on March 20 he doesn’t have a name for the Opening Day gig.
“No, because I think I have four or five guys who could actually make that start,” Girardi said. “We want everybody to make basically 32 or 33 starts. So if you start on Wednesday or Thursday, does it really matter? … Isn’t the reality, for me, the number one starter is the guy starting that day? Because the other guys can’t do anything for you.”