CC Sabathia Injury: Latest News and Updates on Yankees Star Pitcher

Perhaps the numbers for New York Yankees ace CC Sabathia haven't been quite as dominant this season as we have grown accustomed to, but with a 9-3 record and 3.45 ERA, there is no doubt that Sabathia is still the best pitcher in the Big Apple.

Unfortunately, the big man will be on the shelf for the next couple weeks at least.

According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, Sabathia will be placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Yanks with a Grade 1 strain of the adductor muscle near his left leg. The left-hander is expected to miss his next two starts but will return after the All-Star break if the healing process goes smoothly.

There wasn't any in-game indication that Sabathia had suffered an injury, but he felt it during his start against the New York Mets on Sunday and didn't tell the team until Tuesday, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News:

Starter-turned-reliever Freddy Garcia will step in for Sabathia during his absence, according to Hoch, but the Yankees organization and its fans obviously hope that it won't be for more than two starts.

The Yankees have been on an absolute roll in winning 24 of their past 31 games, and while the offense has had a lot to do with that, Sabathia has been excellent over that stretch as well.

Even though Sabathia has not been dominant in all of his starts, he has always managed to go deep into games and preserve the team's bullpen. Prior to his last start against the Mets, he had gone at least seven innings in six straight starts, while maintaining the second-longest streak in the majors of consecutive games with over 100 pitches.

There is such an emphasis on pitch counts and protecting pitchers in the MLB today that it is rare to see a pitcher that is allowed to take the mound and essentially pitch for as long as he wants to. It used to be commonplace a couple decades ago, but 100 pitches has suddenly become the magic number when pitchers are pulled from the game.

Manager Joe Girardi and the Yankees front office obviously hate to see Sabathia go down, particularly when the team is in a rhythm, but it is better for it to happen now rather than later in the season.

Provided the injury was diagnosed in time and is treated properly, this could actually be a positive for the Yankees and Sabathia. The southpaw was on pace to be among the league leaders in innings pitched this season, and this injury will give him a couple weeks off to rest his body heading into the second half. 

The Yankees finally have quality depth in their pitching staff with Andy Pettitte, Hiroki Kuroda, Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova, but Sabathia is their horse, and the Bombers are going to ride him.

Luckily for the Yankees, all of their other starters are pitching quite well right now, so there is no reason why they can't continue their hot streak through the All-Star break.

This is unfortunate timing for Sabathia since the injury disqualifies him from the All-Star Game, but being healthy late in the season and pursuing a championship is obviously far more important.

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