CC Sabathia’s right knee will have a third and final examination Friday in California, where he will see Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the Dodgers’ physician.
“Dr. [Chris] Ahmad has made a recommendation and Dr. [Keith] Meister has made a recommendation,’’ general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday. “All the information will be in by [Friday].’’
Ahmad is the Yankees’ doctor and Meister works with the Texas Rangers.
There has been talk Sabathia needs microfracture surgery but that isn’t a guarantee. Should the large lefty require that surgery there is a chance it could be career-threatening. If he can avoid that surgery Sabathia, who turns 34 on Monday, could return this season. But he also might be finished because he hasn’t pitched since May 10 in Milwaukee. The next day he complained of swelling in the knee.
He was making progress in a rehab program until the first week of July when the knee swelled after a bullpen session and he was shut down.
The one-time ace, who is under contract through 2017 and owed $73 million thanks to a vesting option that has injury language only as it pertains to his left shoulder, is 3-4 with a 5.28 ERA in eight starts this season.
Sabathia is one of four Yankee starters on the disabled list who were in the Opening Day rotation.
Ivan Nova (Tommy John surgery), is done for the year. Michael Pineda, out since April 23, is working back from a terres major muscle injury dangerously close to the surgically repaired right shoulder that kept him out of the big leagues the past two seasons.
Masahiro Tanaka, who replaced Sabathia as the staff ace, went on the DL last week with a small tear in the right ulnar collateral ligament. He is trying to rehab it and return this season. If that doesn’t work Tommy John surgery is a possibility.
As of Thursday afternoon Cashman said he was looking forward to designated hitter Carlos Beltran returning Friday night to play against the Reds at Yankee Stadium. However, he wasn’t in position to predict that would happen.
“That is our hope, but I don’t have a report on it yet,’’ the GM said.
Beltran is eligible to come off the seven-day concussion DL on Friday night. He suffered the concussion July 9 when a ball off his bat hit a bar in the batting cage and came back to hit him in the nose. The blow caused two nose fractures and a concussion.
Beltran, who has been on the DL twice this season, is batting .216 with nine homers and 28 RBIs in 61 games.