Earlier today, the Yankees placed CC Sabathia on the 15-day disabled list, and re-signed Chris Capuano to a major league deal. The news wasn't unexpected, as he was forced to leave his start yesterday during the third inning because of his surgically repaired right knee. While an MRI didn't show any glaring issues, or new damage, Joe Giradi isn't optimistic that Sabathia will rebound quickly.
CC Sabathia to the DL. Joe Girardi admits it's possible he doesn't pitch again this season, but unsure as of now.
— Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) August 24, 2015
In 138.1 innings this year, Sabathia has pitched to the tune of a 5.27 ERA, a 4.82 FIP, and given up home runs at a startlingly high rate, 1.69 per nine innings. He hasn't been able to put together any prolonged stretch of success in 2015, and over the last three seasons, Sabathia has been worth just 3.5 fWAR.
Due to this injury, Capuano is with the Yankees again, and this now represents the third time he's been DFA'd and brought back. In 33 innings for the Bronx Bombers, he's struggled even more so than Sabathia, as Capuano has posted an ERA of 6.55, an FIP of 4.94, and a HR/9 of 1.36.
With Sabathia's potential season ending injury, it will be interesting to see if the Yankees decide to make a run at James Shields. He cleared waivers earlier this month, and would help create some stability within their rotation. Luis Severino has performed well in his first taste of MLB action, but he's already thrown a career high 122 innings, and he could run out of steam as the season comes to an end. Michael Pineda hasn't pitched in a month, and Ivan Nova has been a mixed bag.
The Yankees have also been without Mark Teixeira since August 17th, but his prognosis seems to be better.
Tex thinks he could PH if needed, and he and Girardi think he's a player by Friday at the latest. "If I'm not, I'm really disappointed."
— Lou DiPietro (@LouDiPietroYES) August 24, 2015
Teixeira has been fantastic this season, as he's posted a slash line of .257/.359/.553 with an ISO of .296, a wOBA of .384, and a wRC+ of 147. His fWAR of 3.0 represents his best value since 2011, and he's been a huge reason for the Yankees success. If Teixeira isn't ready to go by Friday, they could place him on the DL retroactively. For the time being, Greg Bird will continue to play on an everyday basis, as he's proven that he can handle major league hitting thus far in his career.