It took nearly nine months, save for two Minor League starts last summer, but New York Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia is back in pinstripes and back on the mound. MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reports that Sabathia, whose last Major League start came in May of 2014, is back to his normal offseason routine following July 23 knee surgery. Sabathia completed his first bullpen session of Spring Training Saturday morning and reported no issues or concerns after throwing 25 pitches.
For most pitchers, 25 pitches -- even at the beginning of Spring Training -- is not much. For Sabathia, however, it is a major milestone. Sabathia suffered a condition called degeneration, and the arthroscopic surgery repaired the damage that built up in the early part of 2014. Since he could not do much leg work, Sabathia also had to find ways to keep his throwing arm ready for the load of Spring Training and season-long pitching.
Hoch says that Sabathia mixed up his pitches well, throwing fastballs, curve balls, and change ups.
Sabathia said he has felt fine since he began treatments for recovery late last year. Those treatments have included a series of three platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections to strengthen the knee and give it the blood flow that it needs to perform normally. Hoch quoted the big lefty discussing his progress, health, and routine. Said Sabathia,
"It feels good. It's something that I'm excited about -- just playing catch, long-toss, everything. I'm able to go 100 percent and not feel anything.... [I am] just making sure that my control is where it needs to be, my two-seamer is good, and my change-up is better than it's been. Just making sure that I can spot up and throw the ball where I need to. I've been talking to Andy [Pettitte] a lot about how he would attack guys later in his career, so I think I've got a pretty good plan."
Sabathia also stated that he has "a lot to prove" after missing so much time last year and not pitching up to his usual high standards -- and contract terms -- since the beginning of 2013. When he went down last year, speculation began about whether or not his career was over. He has another chance, and he intends to make the best of it.
Sabathia said that he has the goal of helping the Yankees get back to the playoffs; they missed the postseason in each of the last two years, the first back-to-back seasons that has happened since 1993 (not including the canceled postseason of 1994). In addition to Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, and Ivan Nova (who will return in May) must also show themselves healthy for the Yankees to have a chance at a postseason reberth.
The Yankees have had a plethora of injuries in each of the past two seasons, but the current roster looks healthy as Spring Training begins. Sabathia and the other veterans will certainly need to stay on the field for the Yankees to compete in the always tough American League East.