When New York Yankees' starter CC Sabathia left the mound in Milwaukee's Miller Park on May 10, it turned out that he would not return for the remainder of the 2014 season. Sabathia immediately went on the disabled list because of degenerative conditions to the cartilage in his right knee. He returned to make two Minor League rehab starts but combined for only six innings and allowed five earned runs and he did not make it back onto the Yankees' active roster. Sabathia underwent surgery on July 23 to repair the damage to his knee. Not only did he lose the final four months of 2014, but speculation began about whether or not he would ever return to a Major League mound. 

That speculation has now ended. Sabathia says he is not only ready to pitch again, but he is ready to make his normal 32 starts for the Yankees in 2015. MLB.com's Yankees beat writer Bryan Hoch reported that Sabathia has progressed much faster than expected. In fact, Hoch relayed Sabathia's own statement that the left-hander is "pretty much back to 100%" and expects to pitch the entire 2015 season barring any setbacks. Hoch quoted Sabathia telling reporters at a book signing last week saying, "My only goal is to stay healthy and get back to that -- eating up innings and being able to start every fifth day." 

What would a healthy CC Sabathia mean to the Yankees? While he is no longer one of the elite pitchers in the game, he is still reliable when healthy, this year's poor performance notwithstanding. After signing a mega deal prior to the 2009 season, Sabathia gave the Yankees four terrific seasons averaging 32 starts with averages of an 18-7 record, 3.22 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 5.5 WAR through 2012. He made three A.L. All-Star teams and helped lead the Yankees to the 2009 World Series title with a 19-8 record and 6.2 WAR. 

Sabathia was one of the few Yankee regulars who stayed healthy for the most part in 2013 until he strained his left thigh and hamstring in the final few weeks of the season. He was 14-13 with a 4.78 ERA at the time, but he kept his team in games. However, his loss virtually caused the Yankees to fall out of postseason contention at season's end.

This year, Sabathia officially spent 141 days on the disabled list. When he went down for the season following that May 10 start, he was 3-4 with a 5.28 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and -0.6 WAR in eight starts. He pitched with soreness, but he had little choice because of the devastating injuries to two other Yankee starters, Ivan Nova and Michael Pineda. Nova (2-2, 8.27 ERA in four starts) last pitched on April 19 before needing Tommy John surgery, and Pineda (5-5, 1.89 ERA) spent 99 days on the disabled list from May 6 to August 13. Later, rookie sensation Masahiro Tanaka (13-5, 2.77 ERA) tore his UCL and sat out from July 9 to September 21. 

Overall, the Yankees' starting rotation finished 2014 ranked seventh in the league in ERA thanks to the help of Shane Greene (5-4, 3.79 ERA) and David Phelps (5-5, 4.28 ERA). In addition, Brandon McCarthy (7-5, 2.89 ERA as a Yankee) and Chris Capuano (2-3, 4.25 ERA) joined the Yankees at the trade deadline and helped keep them in contention until the final weeks of the season. However, the loss of Sabathia, a perennial work horse, and the other Opening Day starters -- along with a plethora of hitters once again -- spelled doom for the Yankees. McCarthy and Capuano are costless agents this off-season. McCarthy would make a valuable member of the 2015 rotation, especially while the Yankees still await Nova's return.

Hoch says that Sabathia started throwing off flat ground in September and has begun working out at Yankee Stadium twice each week. Yankee pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training on February 20, but Sabathia plans to report early and get in some extra conditioning and mound work. Sabathia called his training schedule "definitely a huge relief" as he can soon begin to have a normal off-season workout routine as he stated in that same talk with reporters: "I feel good enough to do all my workouts, to play catch and kind of have a normal offseason."

Pineda looks more than ready as he was 2-2 with a 1.62 ERA and 0.72 WHIP in five September starts. If the Yankees can get back a healthy Sabathia, Tanaka and Nova while keeping McCarthy, then they will have a formidable starting rotation next season. They also need to focus on re-signing closer David Robertson (39-for-44 in save opportunities) long-term. Still, the Yankees need offense (13th in the A.L. runs scored). Alex Rodriguez could return, but do not expect the 40+ home runs of yesteryear to show up with him. Yankees' general manager Brian Cashman, though, will not stand pat. Expect him to do all he can to restock the lineup and make contenders out the New York Yankees once again.

That restocking, though, begins with making sure that they have a healthy CC Sabathia on the mound for a full 2015 season.