CC Sabathia Looking To Make a Big Return This Season

CC Sabathia threw his first outdoor bullpen session Saturday, and hopes to be on a mound a lot more this season.

C.C. Sabathia weighed in at Spring Training for the Yankees at 305 pounds. The former Cy Young winner hopes that this weight will fuel the charge at making a big comeback after injury problems last year. 

Image Credit: DeadSpin.com

Joe Girardi signed off on this bigger Sabathia, with the Yankees' doctor and trainers setting a target weight that's still below what he weighed in Cleveland, but one they expect will put less wear and tear on that knee.

Sabathia lost a huge amount of weight two years ago. He weighed around 275 pounds, the lightest he has ever been. This proved to be a bad decision as Sabathia posted the worst numbers of his career.

Then in 2014, he was placed on the disabled list for the majority of the season because of an injury. But gaining some of that weight back makes Sabathia think he is really going to bounce back. After all, he did win a Cy Young when he was at this same weight back in 2007 when he was with the Indians.

Sabathia's knee condition is degenerative, so it's only going to get worse. He admitted he's needed three platelet-rich plasma injections to get him ready for spring training. He's 34 years old, but he's been remarkably durable throughout his career—which has always been one of his strengths—and racked up more than 2,800 innings, third most among active players.

Now 34 years old, Sabathia has had a rough two years, owning a 4.87 ERA in 257 innings since the start of the 2013 season. Though Sabathia admitted he’ll likely never completely overcome his degenerative knee condition, he’ll try to be productive in the middle of the Yankees’ starting rotation behind Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda.

Sabathia will have plenty of time to get his stuff back as the Yankees tee off against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 6th. Manager Joe Girardi will need Sabathia to produce like he has in years past if the Yankees plan on making the playoffs.

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO