Yankees: Nothing of late compares to CC’s loss on the staff

The Yankees have shown a deep resilience when it comes to replacing position players who have been lost to the team due to injury. But there is nothing that can replace the loss of their true Number One. And his return can’t come quick enough.

When Yankees manager, Joe Girardi was asked for an update on CC Sabathia‘s injured hamstring, his comments to NJ.com were noticeably absent of a timetable for the big lefty’s return to the rotation.

"“He threw bullpen today,” Girardi said. “Let’s see what’s next. He’s progressing very, very well. He did a full bullpen today and I’ll sit down and talk to everyone involved, maybe a simulated game is next?”"

And that’s better than anything we’ve heard for a while. But with the starting rotation, the Yankees had when the season began, coupled with the fall from grace of Masahiro Tanaka, save for the time he gets motivated to pitch like he can against his Japanese rival, the loss of Sabathia crippled the team.

You lose a shortstop, no problem, Ronald Torreyes steps in. You lost your potential All-Star catcher, no problem, Austin Romine hits .300 in his absence. And now, with Aaron Hicks out for 3-4 weeks, Jacoby Ellsbury is standing by (hopefully) to pick up from where he left off a month ago.

There has been no replacement for Sabathia in the rotation, and the hit has been noticeable.

Sabathia has been out of the rotation since injuring his hamstring on June 13. The 36-year-old over thirteen starts is 7-2 and owns a 3.46 ERA in 75.1 innings pitched this season.

Add to that the fact that Sabathia, since going down, would have had an addition 3-4 starts and the odds are that he would have been the “stopper” the Yankees sorely need

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Girardi has a problem now, and most of it stems from the fact that he’s not handing the ball to any of his starters, with the possible exception of Jordan Montgomery who’s going against the White Sox tonight, with any level of confidence based on what he’s seen lately from them.

Sabathia, on the other hand, was and will be, when he returns, the Yankees and Girardi’s go-to guy, no matter what the standings dictate.

Sabathia, who many saw as a tag-along on the staff until his contract expired at the end of this season, has proven one thing this year. He can get major league hitters out on a consistent basis. He doesn’t blow anything by them anymore, all he does is leave shaking their heads on the way back to the dugout.

Hamstrings can be a deceptive and frustrating injury. They are, in many ways, the bane of baseball. And for a 36-year old player with more than 3,000 innings under his belt in major league uniform, the odds of not only a quick return but a productive one remain in jeopardy.

But you get the feeling that if Sabathia needs to figure out yet another way, after having made the transformation from a Cory Kluber into the pitcher he his now, he will find a way.

Without Sabathia in the rotation, the pieces are NOT in place for the Yankees to continue to remain at the top of the AL East, even if the Red Sox continue to play at the same level of mediocrity as their rivals are now.

Yankees: Rumors about Sabathia’s death are greatly exaggerated

The Yankees are being pressured to dump CC Sabathia in favor of Chance Adams or Justus Sheffield. This does not fit the master plan drawn up by Cashman.

Brian Cashman will continue to work on the stopgap with trades and roster adjustments that Luis Cessa is not, but the real deal is Sabathia.