Joe Girardi: CC Sabathia won't be ready to return to Yankees when DL stint is up

CC Sabathia has never finished a season with less than 11 wins. (Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)

Yankees starter CC Sabathia, who is on the disabled list with an injured right knee, is unlikely to be ready to return when he is eligible to come back on May 26, manager Joe Girardi said before Saturday's game against the Pirates, according to MLB.com.

The left-hander will reportedly be on crutches until early next week and will need time to ease back into his regular throwing schedule. He is expected to be at Yankee Stadium for Sunday's doubleheader after seeing Dr. James Andrews earlier in the week, when he was diagnosed with a degenerative issue in the knee.

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"There's not a lot of history on this, but because they want the procedure to be as successful as possible, he's on crutches," Girardi said. "It's not because the knee is sore. They just don't want any weight on it. My guess is we'll evaluate him Monday or Tuesday ... and then we'll go from there."

Sabathia has struggled this season, going 3-4 with a career-high 5.28 ERA in eight starts. The 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner has allowed 10 home runs in 46 innings, with 48 strikeouts and 10 walks.

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