The Yankees would be lucky to get CC Sabathia on the mound in two months, let alone six weeks, according to one doctor familiar with the stem-cell procedure Sabathia underwent last week.

He may be able to practice by then, but I dont think hell be back in the majors before eight-to-12 weeks, said Dr. Selene Parekh, associate professor of surgery in the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at Duke Orthopaedics.

Perhaps more importantly, there is so little history regarding the stem-cell injection done by Dr. James Andrews, its difficult to know what to expect.

Since stem cells are naturally occurring, the idea is that by injecting them into Sabathias knee, his body will be able to create new cells to get the knee healthier.

Its a big leap of faith, Parekh said.

Dr. Alexis Colvin, orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said there have been promising studies done regarding stem cells ability to reduce cartilage damage, as opposed to cortisone, which only provides pain relief.

Sabathia underwent a stem-cell procedure for his knee that could keep him off the mound longer than the Yankees want.Photo: Getty Images

Parekh said it was similar to the procedures Alex Rodriguez and Kobe Bryant had done in Germany, and Dr. Andrews was bringing the technology to the United States.

Unfortunately, the only way to know if its working is by symptoms, Parekh said.

And if not?

More here:
Sabathia could actually miss 8-12 weeks: Doc