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New York Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia underwent a minor operation Thursday to remove a bone spur from his elbow, reports David Waldstein of the New York Times:
Sabathia, the Yankees’ ace, had arthroscopic surgery on Thursday to remove the spur and clean out the elbow. He should be ready for the beginning of the 2013 season, the Yankees believe.
"It’s what we expected," General Manager Brian Cashman said. "It was quick, minor surgery, and everything else looked really good."
The 32-year-old Sabathia had short stint on the disabled list in August due to elbow inflammation, and doctors believe the now-removed bone spur was the source of the troubles. The bone spur had existed in Sabathia's elbow since prior to his arrival in New York in 2009, but it did never surfaced to cause a problem until this summer.
The Yankees will take their time with Sabathia's recovery, easing him through spring training in March, but expect him to be at full strength by Opening Day. The burly left-hander made twenty-eight starts on the season, amassing a 3.38 ERA and 8.9 K/9 in exactly two hundred innings of work.