Sabathia could begin throwing off a mound next week

June 13, 2014 by Mike Axisa 43 Comments

CC Sabathia could begin throwing off a mound as soon as next week, Joe Girardi told reporters yesterday. He has been playing catch for several days now. “CC’s been playing catch. He did a little bit of flat ground yesterday and hopefully when we get home next week I can possibly get him on a mound,” said Girardi to Brendan Kuty.

Sabathia, 33, has been out with what Brian Cashman called a “degenerative condition” in his right knee for a little more than a month now. He was pretty bad (5.28 ERA And 4.73 FIP) before getting hurt, though who knows how much the knee contributed to his struggles. Cashman said Sabathia is not expected back until sometime in July at the earliest, so while getting back up on a mound represents progress, he still has a long way to go before rejoining the rotation.

nycsportzfan

July the earliest, ey? Thats not great news. I didn’t realize he was gonna be out that long. I know hes struggled but I still have faith in CC Sabathia being a rock solid 5th in the rotation type.
notsosmart

Yea, “degenerative knee condition” sounds pretty bad, for this year and for the future. And honestly, for the health of the big guy. He’ll probably walk with a limp for the rest of his life after retiring.
- notsosmart
  
  Perhaps a flight to Germany, à la Kobe is in order?
Craig

The knee was said to be structural fine and stable. Other players have done fine after this treatment. I have pitched with an injured knee and can attest to the fact that it would affect location (which seemed to be CC’s main problem).

I will take the opposite stance to all of the gloom & doom about CC and his future. I think he comes back and is 90% of vintage CC…which is pretty damn good.

I might be wrong, but don’t think so.

Time will tell.

Until then…suck it CC bashers!
- Looser trader droids FotD™
  
  What’s to suck on? He has been among the very worst SP in all of MLB for the last 1.25 seasons. And by any measure, old school or new. You are certainly entitled to delude yourself into believing what you like. But you are not entitled to your own facts. He has flat out sucked for a loooong time, is old and getting older, has a ton (almost literally) of wear and tear on his body and arm, and has shown no ability to pitch well with diminished stuff. None.
  
  The greatest likelihood is that CC of the last 1.25 seasons is the best we will see for the remainder of his contract.
  - Craig
    
    Trolls gotta troll…
    - trr
      
      Sorry Craig, but ‘droids is hardly trolling, in fact he’s pretty much right on target. If you’re a CC fan, more power to ya and you can certainly hope for the best, but the facts do speak for themselves…
- Steve G
  
  What exactly are CC “bashers” sucking on? The fact that Craig thinks he might be 90 percent of what he used to be but acknowledges that he might be wrong? My god it tastes so bitter!
Mike Myers

From what I understand this is what he has –
“Osteoarthritis, commonly known as wear-and-tear arthritis, is a condition in which the natural cushioning between joints — cartilage — wears away. When this happens, the bones of the joints rub more closely against one another with less of the shock-absorbing benefits of cartilage. The rubbing results in pain, swelling, stiffness, decreased ability to move and, sometimes, the formation of bone spurs.”

And there is no real cure…

Treatment
There is no cure for osteoarthritis, but there are medications to help relieve pain, when needed. The doctor may recommend physical therapy (PT) or occupational therapy (OT) to help improve strength and function. When pain is severe and frequent or mobility and daily activities become difficult, surgery may be considered.

Self-Care
“Staying physically active and maintaining a healthy weight are the keys to living well with osteoarthritis. Too little movement can lead to stiffness and weak joints. Losing one pound can take four pounds of pressure off your knee joints. Overall fitness improves health in many ways. Strong muscles protect joints. An OA management plan also involves eating a nutritious diet, managing stress and depression, and getting a good balance of rest and activity each day.”

The yankees arent giving out too much info, so this could be CC for the rest of the contract…
- Craig
  
  This is exactly what Randy Johnson had and he was able to pitch effectively for 10+ years with the condition. CC can also get synvisc injections throughout the season to ease the discomfort…again, this is what RJ did.
  
  This is a serious condition, but it is not the end of the world as some are predicting. CC needs to be reasonably effective through the 2017 season. I believe that he will be very good until then.
  - Looser trader droids FotD™
    
    LOL.
  - Col in NJ
    
    when someone says they pitched with a bad knee, that means your knee wasn’t bad. CC s knee is in very bad shape.Degenerative knee means arthritis or bone on bone or both. The “suck it” comments are childish.
- Col in NJ
  
  I’ve had 3 synvisc injections did absolutely nothing. I think CC needs total knee replacement.
JonS

So…we will go from a player making 500k who sucks to a 23m+ player who sucks. :P
- Looser trader droids FotD™
  
  The problem is that the $500k guys aren’t sucking. If CC comes back we are most likely going to have a step down in performance, not a step up.
  - Preston
    
    CC is much better than Vidal Nuno. Even if he gives up runs at a similar rate, he still goes deeper into games, something our bullpen desperately needs.
Farewell Mo

He hasn’t been an effective pitcher in over a year spanning 40 starts and 250+ innings so I’d expect little from him at this point moving forward.

Hopefully we’ll be pleasantly surprised but I’m not counting on it.
- Craig
  
  If there was breakdown in the cartilage in the knee it could certainly affect his location and even cut 1-2 mph off his fastball…same thing happened to me (no cartilage in knee for years and pitched that way).
  
  I think there is a good likelihood that CC comes back much better than he showed in those previous 40 starts and is 2012 CC for the remainder of his contract.
  
  Unless it is a catastrophic event, these injuries tend to slowly creep up on a player and he won’t realize how much it is affecting his pitching until it gets so bad that he gets treatment. Then the performance tends to be night and day.
  - Farewell Mo
    
    Arthritis in the knee is going to chronically flare up from overuse. Injections and rest will take the edge off but they’re really just temporary stop gaps to manage the symptoms.
    
    I can see him maybe pitching well for stretches but it can flare up and put him out of commission at any time.
    - Craig
      
      That is not true. This is precisely what RJ had for over 10 years and he was extremely effective with treatment until he got into his early forties.
      
      CC will be better after receiving treatment. RJ didn’t even have the plasma injections, as they were not an option then.
      
      This is not the death sentence people are making it out to be. There is certainly some risk, as with any injury, but the misinformation about CC’s knee is so out of hand.
      - Farewell Mo
        
        It’s not a death sentence but it’s a chronic condition for which there is no cure and options only include symptomatic management. He’s been on the DL for more than 6 weeks already and he looks to be out a good while longer. That’s not some minor injury that’ll resolve with just rest.
        
        He very well could run over to cover 1st base in his first game back and set himself all the way back to square one.
      - Col in NJ
        
        There are 2 kinds of people in the world, those who say they have bone on bone and those who actually have it.Plasma injections do not regrow cartilage.
  - BSwink23
    
    Just curious Craig, but you’ve said that you pitched for years with this condition. Were you as successful doing so as you predict CC to be? And were you facing MLB hitters?
    - Craig
      
      If I was I wouldn’t be posting here would I?;)
      
      I did however pitch at a major D1 program for 3 years with zero cartilage in my knee and early onset OA (which does hurt more today…but years later doesn’t everything).
      
      This injury will affect location and velocity. CC isn’t going to come back throwing 95 mph, but it would surprise me to see another 1-2 mph on his FB with much better command.
      
      That would bring us 2012 CC…and I think that is pretty good.
      - BSwink23
        
        That’s pretty much what I thought. Sorry brah, but even major D1 hitters aren’t MLB hitters. Like I said in a later post, his problems started last year. He wasn’t complaining about the knee last year. I’m in your camp when I say I hope like hell that he comes back to just be a reliable #3 in the rotation. I just have serious doubts. I think that there is more to it than just the knee.
        
        Craig
        
        Sorry brah…the difference in hitters is irrelevant. The injury is the same and how it affects the body is the same.
        
        I am more qualified to speak on this subject that almost everybody on RAB. I know EXACTLY what CC’s feeling and how the treatment will help.
        
        Just about everything everyone is spouting out on this is noise.
        
        He was bad for 40 starts…he was injured for 40 starts. Go back and look at guys with arm injuries. the pattern is similar…loss in velo and command then DL.
        
        He can’t pitch with diminished stuff…actually, I think CC showed he can absolutely pitch with diminished stuff. The games showed it. What CC cannot do, is pitch with his knee in the shape it was in prior to the treatment.
        
        He has nothing left and is a #5…his stuff will look a lot better when he returns and his command will be much better.
        
        BSwink23
        
        First off, I have the exact same condition…the exact same condition. You’re not the only one on here who knows what he is talking about. I went through 6 weeks of PT. I had it scoped to remove all the irritants. I received 5 gel shots, one per week for 5 weeks. It helped very little. There are days now that I could pitch on it. And there are days that I walk with a slight limp. I’m sure that CC is getting far better treatment than I ever got…he has much more money and far better connections that I could ever hope for. So he’ll be in better shape than me, or you. But it’s never going to be the same. For someone that’s been through this, you should know that.
        
        Secondly, how do you know he was injured for his last 40 starts? Show me that evidence?
        
        BSwink23
        
        I do want to correct myself: My injured knee is my right knee, and I’m right-handed…it’s my push off knee, and not my landing knee…so it’s not the EXACT same injury. But I do know what I’m talking about as far as the actual injury/condition. I know what it feels like. I know the treatments. I know the limitations going forward. And I still uphold that even if his knee comes back 100%, I don’t think that is going to get us back to the CC of old. I don’t think that all of his problems stem from the knee. And I’m not a basher. I’m hoping for a reliable #3. In my opinion, that’s far more realistic than what you are predicting.
        
        Craig
        
        Fair enough…spirited debate is a good thing!
        
        I am a big CC fan, so I am pulling for him and it would make a huge difference if he can come back. I think he can. Time will show us.
Marcus

I forgot CC was still on the Yankees. Can they just leave him on the DL…at least with NUNO there are no expectations.
Yangeddard Solarte

They expected him to be an ace for the rest of the contract and now it won’t hurt one bit if he doesn’t come back at all. The key guy is Pineda since he’s our #2. Kuroda #3. Whitley #4. CC would be the 5th starter so it’s not all that important that he return. As bad as Phelps and Nuno are at times, CC’s ERA was a full run higher.
- Craig
  
  You are so misinformed.
  - Looser trader droids FotD™
    
    And you are a delusional cheerleader.
    - Craig
      
      Not at all.
      
      I have given concrete examples of MLB players and pitchers who have been successful with the same condition.
      
      I have the same condition.
      
      You are drawing conclusions using uninformed sources and emotion.
      - Col in NJ
        
        No two patients are the same.
BSwink23

What concerns me more than anything is that CC’s troubles started last year. If they had just started, when his knee started bothering him, that would be one thing. We could blame his inconsistent location on him feeling discomfort in his knee when he landed. But I don’t remember hearing anything about this last year…and yet he still struggled. I sincerely hope that getting treatment will fix the problem, I just have my doubts because of his previous struggles. Can he be better than last year? If he makes adjustments, sure. But the knee being better probably isn’t going to do it.
- Craig
  
  These thing creep up slowly. Pitchers are always in some sort of pain and discomfort. You get used to the pain, which allows you to pitch, but sometimes it also prevents you from realizing that something is not quite as right as it used to be.
  
  The subtle changes affect velocity and command, whether it is the knee or the elbow.
  - BSwink23
    
    I think that you’re convinced that you’re right. I hope that you are. But I don’t think that it was just the knee. I don’t think we’ll ever see the same CC again. And I don’t think it will even be close.
    - Craig
      
      I do think that I am right. The same way everyone here writing CC’s obituary thinks they are right. The difference is I am looking at the facts of guys who have the same injury in MLB and have my own experience to draw on.
      
      The emotional answer is he is cooked. The facts are that there is risk in every injury, but it is extremely likely that CC will come back and still be a very effective pitcher.
      - BSwink23
        
        I haven’t written him off. I’ve clearly stated that I hope that you’re right. You’re just looking for a fight. And I saw earlier that you called someone else a troll? Seriously?
        
        Craig
        
        Nah…not looking for a fight. My apologies if it came off that way to you.
    - hogsmog
      
      We don’t need to see the same CC again, though. We just need to see somebody better than a quad-A journeyman.
      - BSwink23
        
        My point exactly. I’m hoping for a reliable #3. That’s not writing him off. That’s being realistic.