Yankees: With CC Sabathia likely headed to DL, who replaces him?

Not only did the Yankees fall to the Angels on Tuesday night 3-2 in 11 innings, snapping a six game win-streak — CC Sabathia suffered a strained left hamstring and could miss an extended period of time.

As the Yankees await the MRI results for their comeback hero CC Sabathia, it’s time they start making preparations for who will fill his spot in the rotation should he be forced to the 10-day disabled list.

Tied with Michael Pineda for the most wins on the team with seven (including five in a row), Sabathia’s veteran leadership has been a calming influence on a rotation who’s ace has been anything but this season.

Following a pitch in the 4th inning, Sabathia told the New York Post he felt “a tug” in his left hamstring that inevitably caused him to leave the contest.

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“It is a little sore,” said Sabathia, who wouldn’t have been on the mound had first baseman Chris Carter caught Didi Gregorius throw for the final out instead having the tick off his glove for a costly error that led to the only run Sabathia gave up. “It happened on the second to last pitch [to C.J. Cron], I felt it grab. I thought maybe it was a cramp, but when I went to push off, it hurt and didn’t feel good.”

The Yankees must now decide who will replace Sabathia, who is scheduled to pitch on Sunday against the Athletics. Internal candidates include:

• Chad Green is the most likely solution since he’s already on the 24-man roster. He started last Sunday against the Orioles and pitched two solid frames in place of Masahiro Tanaka. He’ll need to be stretched out accordingly since he’s featured predominately out of the bullpen this season.
• 40-man roster members Luis Cessa and Bryan Mitchell who are both at Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes/Barre last pitched on Friday and Saturday of last week respectively. Expect one of them to at least be called up to feature out of the bullpen.
• Arguably the organizations top pitching prospect, Chance Adams is 3-2 in six starts at Triple-A Scranton, compiling a 2.52 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 40:12 K:BB ratio. Since he isn’t on the 40-man, this is a move that would require some maneuvering — but it could be worth it in the long run.
• Domingo German, who recently pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless ball out of the ‘pen on Sunday was sent back to Triple-A after the game to continue his development from reliever to starter. Clocked at 98.2 mph, I doubt the club rushes him into a starting spot so quickly.

Next: Yankees first round draft pick

Regardless of what the Yankees decide to do to patch this hole in their rotation — when a 36-year-old suffers a hamstring injury, it usually takes longer than 10-days to heal. Next man up!