Yankees GM: We're not considering moving Sabathia to the bullpen

Earlier this month, New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi gave struggling veteran CC Sabathia a vote of confidence after the left-hander allowed six earned runs and didn't make it out of the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies.

"He's a starter for us. That's what he is," Girardi said. "That's what we're paying him to do, and that's what he's going to do."

After surrendering four earned runs over 7 1/3 innings in Anaheim on Monday night, Sabathia received a similar endorsement from his general manager.

Brian Cashman confirmed less than 24 hours after the Yankees fell, 4-1, to the Los Angeles Angels that the club has yet to entertain the possibility of moving the beleaguered 34-year-old to the bullpen.

"That's not something that we're considering at this moment," Cashman told ESPN's Wallace Matthews on Tuesday. "We're going to continue to give him every opportunity to work through this for the foreseeable future."

Through 16 starts this season, Sabathia owns a career-worst 5.59 ERA (71 ERA+) while allowing more home runs (19) than any other pitcher in the American League. The former Cy Young award winner has struggled so profoundly, in fact, some speculated he might be moved to the bullpen now that Ivan Nova has returned from Tommy John surgery.

Instead, however, the Yankees opted to remove right-hander Adam Warren from the rotation Monday despite the 27-year-old authoring a 3.59 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP over 14 starts thus far.

"We have to manage his innings," Cashman said. "He's pitched great, but we're giving him a timeout. It doesn't mean he's out of the rotation for good. We're giving him a breather, and if somebody gets hurt, he automatically goes back in."