MINNEAPOLIS — CC Sabathia is going to see Dr. James Andrews for a second time this season, and that is never good news.
Sabathia woke up Thursday to find his right knee swollen, one night after he made a second minor league rehab start for Double-A Trenton. According to Yankees manager Joe Girardi, an MRI on the knee Thursday didn’t show anything more than before, but what was discovered in mid-May has kept the large lefty on the disabled list since May 11.
Adding to the uncertainty is that Andrews isn’t immediately available, so Sabathia, who was receiving stem cell treatments in the bothersome knee, may not be able to see the noted surgeon for a week.
“It’s not what we wanted, we didn’t want a setback,’’ Girardi said after his club stopped a five-game losing streak with a 7-4 win over the hapless Twins. “We have to shut him down. I’m concerned.’’
The Yankees didn’t know exactly what they were going to get from Sabathia following the All-Star break outside of a veteran presence and a competitor, because he hadn’t faced big league hitters in almost two months.
Now the Yankees don’t know when they will see Sabathia or how much it will impact their desire to trade for a starter before the July 31 trade deadline.
After the minor league rehab outing Wednesday, during which Sabathia threw 55 pitches in 3 ²/₃ innings, he told reporters he felt good and was looking forward to a third rehab outing in five days.
Then the swelling that landed him on the DL in the first place returned.
“We’re waiting to see what the next step is,’’ Girardi said. “We will talk to Dr. [Chris] Ahmad and Dr. Andrews and figure out what’s next.”
What likely isn’t next is Sabathia making two rehab starts before the All- Star break (July 14-17) and rejoining the rotation after play resumes July 18.
“It’s not what you want, but you have to deal with it. We were hopeful that the swelling would stay away and he would be back in our rotation pretty soon,’’ Girardi said. “But it doesn’t appear that’s going to happen.’’
According to Girardi, Sabathia didn’t complain about a physical issue following Wednesday night’s outing.
“The report I got was that it was swollen and it was similar to what he had been experiencing before,’’ Girardi said.
While the Yankees have been looking for and calling teams to gauge what’s available in the starting pitching market and what the price will be, if Sabathia is gone for another extended stint, the price for the Yankees — which already is high — will skyrocket.
Getting Sabathia back, even if he were 3-4 with a 5.28 ERA when landing on the DL, was viewed as an upgrade over fellow lefty Vidal Nuno and neophyte right-hander Chase Whitley.
Now, teams will look at the Yankees, 3 ½ games out of first in the AL East, and believe they will be a little more anxious to do business.
The biggest names most likely to be dealt are the Cubs’ Jeff Samardzija and the Rays’ David Price. The Cubs will also listen on Jason Hammel.
“I don’t think our organization’s thinking ever changes,” Girardi said. “They’re always looking to better the team no matter what. I’m sure we have been scouting players just like every other team in baseball. I think the approach will still be the same, because when someone is injured you can never count 100 percent they are coming back.’’