Yankees' CC Sabathia Expected to Make Full Recovery After Having Heart Surgery

New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia underwent an angioplasty procedure earlier in December to repair a "blockage in one of the arteries leading to his heart," according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Per that report, Sabathia was told by doctors that his "prognosis is excellent, both short- and long-term" and that he should be cleared to return to the diamond by the beginning of spring training in February.

"CC was experiencing some chest pain which turned out to be a blockage in one artery to his heart," his agent, Kyle Thousand, told Rosenthal. "A procedure was done to insert a stent to clear the blockage on Dec. 11. CC is doing great and will be reporting to spring training on time to get ready to play for his upcoming final season in 2019."

Sabathia, 38, just signed a one-year, $8 million contract this offseason after making 29 starts for the Yankees in 2018, finishing 9-7 with a 3.65 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 140 strikeouts in 153 innings.

While six-time All-Star Sabathia is no longer the ace who won the 2007 AL Cy Young Award, he's provided the Yankees with a solid left-handed option to round out its rotation alongside Luis Severino, James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka and J.A. Happ.

While that group isn't one of baseball's elite rotations, it should be good enough to support one of the game's most fearsome lineups.