NEW YORK -- Yankees ace CC Sabathia is heading to the disabled list with a strained muscle in his left leg. The left-hander will be out until after the All-Star break, but manager Joe Girardi said that if all goes right, Sabathia will miss only two turns in the rotation.

Sabathia did not want to go on the DL, but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told him during a Wednesday morning meeting that the club would not take any chances with his health.

"Better safe than sorry," Cashman said.


In Sabathia's place, Freddy Garcia will start on Friday against the Chicago White Sox. Garcia has been pitching as a long man since being bounced from the rotation after four early-season starts. Minor leaguer Adam Warren is expected to be called up for the first time, Cashman said.

Girardi said the strain is in Sabathia's adductor muscle, which is located in the inner thigh near the groin. Doctors classified the injury as a Grade 1 strain, according to Girardi.

Sabathia originally felt pain in the leg during the fourth inning of his start Sunday night against the New York Mets. Sabathia did not tell anyone with the Yankees about the injury until it lingered during a bullpen session on Tuesday.

The Yankees sent Sabathia for an MRI on Tuesday night to check out the severity of the injury. Cashman believes that Sabathia would be able to pitch with the pain if the team was in the stretch run, but at this point in the season, the Yankees are playing it safe despite the pitcher's reluctance to be disabled.

"You have to protect players from themselves," Cashman said.

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