Yankees’ Sabathia moving to bullpen

Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia is getting set to close his career as a reliever.

New York manager Aaron Boone said before Friday night’s game against Toronto that Sabathia will work out of the bullpen next week as the AL East champions prepare for the playoffs.

The 39-year-old lefty has pitched in relief just once in his 19-season career, going 1 1/3 innings in a deciding Game 5 loss to Detroit in the 2011 AL Division Series.

Sabathia’s other 583 appearances have all come as a starter. He is 5-8 in 22 starts with a 4.99 ERA this season and has dealt with knee trouble. Sabathia has said this will be his last year playing in the majors.

Boone said he anticipates using Sabathia in a controlled setting next week at Tampa Bay. If that goes well, Boone said he would try it “a little more on the fly” next weekend at Texas. Boone envisions a “significant role” for Sabathia in the postseason.

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