If CC Sabathia needs to make three minor league rehab starts, he would be able to pitch for the Yankees on July 13 against the Orioles in Baltimore.
Nevertheless, Masahiro Tanaka is on line to make that start, which is the day before the All Star break begins.
So, it’s likely Sabathia’s first big league action off the disabled list will be following the July 14-17 break.
Sabathia is scheduled to start Saturday for Class A Tampa. It will be his first game action since May 10 in Milwaukee, when an inflamed right knee forced him to the disabled list.
“He would have to go at least [three times] that many,’’ manager Joe Girardi said of Sabathia’s rehab stint, before Friday’s 6-0 thumping of the Red Sox.
When Sabathia was shelved, he said his 3-4 record and hefty 5.28 ERA in eight starts wasn’t the result of his ailing knee.
“I know it was bothering him the last three or four starts,” Girardi said. “He didn’t tell us about it after the first start. I’m hoping that this little break will help him, that he will be physically better, stronger. There was a little weakness in there before. Our hope is that he’ll be better and he’ll be strong and he’ll anchor this rotation.’’
It’s early in the minor league rehab assignment process, but Girardi and the Yankees now have a little bit clearer picture regarding their former ace.
“You start to think he’s pretty close to getting back,’’ Girardi said. “This next start is 40 to 45 pitches, the start after that 60 and the one after that is 75, and you try to build him up. The important thing to me is that he’s able to bounce back and the knee is not an issue and doesn’t get in the way. If it doesn’t, we could have him back.’’
While the 30-day clock on Sabathia starts Saturday, Michael Pineda remains on a long road back from a terres major muscle injury in the upper right side of his back. He’s slated to play catch in Tampa on Saturday.
Pineda hasn’t pitched since April 23, when he was caught using pine tar on his neck. He was suspended for 10 games and while out suffered the injury on April 29. When his suspension ended, Pineda was placed on the DL.
Last week, he was shut down from a throwing program and given seven more days of rest.
Because Pineda, who is 2-2 with a 1.83 ERA in four starts, will require a full six-week spring training, the earliest the right-hander would be available to the Yankees would be the middle of August— and that’s without any further setbacks.
Seeing Dellin Betances collapse on the mound in the seventh inning made the Yankees’ hearts skip for a nanosecond, but the 6-foot-8 right-handed reliever slipped because his stride was too long.
“I’ve done that before,’’ said Betances, who was visited on the mound by Girardi and trainer Steve Donohue. “I’m OK.’’
Betances worked 1 ¹/₃ scoreless innings, walked one and fanned two.
The Yankees are 6-2 against the Red Sox this season after winning six games all of last season. … The three Yankees homers were the first time since May 17 against the Pirates that they hit three in one game.
Kelly Johnson ’s two-run homer in the fourth stopped a 84 at-bat homerless streak.
Three months into a season without Alex Rodriguez at third, Girardi believes Yangervis Solarte and Kelly Johnson have “done OK as a group.’’
Girardi is looking at the combined numbers that also include when Solarte and Johnson have played at other positions.
“They probably have 40 RBIs and 11 to 12 homers,’’ Girardi said. “I think they’ve done OK. It’s an adjustment for both of them because they haven’t played there much, so they had to learn some things on the fly.’’
Combined, Solarte and Johnson were batting .250 with 10 homers and 47 RBIs before Friday. As third basemen they were at .267 with six homers and 31 RBIs.