NEW YORK -- CC Sabathia is scheduled for season-ending surgery on his right knee next week, ending any hope of him returning to the New York Yankees ravaged rotation this year. Sabathia will have surgery Wednesday, and general manager Brian Cashman said he thinks "in theory" the big left-hander will be ready for spring training in February. But there is no guarantee Sabathia will be able to pitch effectively next season. "Given obviously the number of things that have gone on, well have to be careful with him," Cashman said Friday. "Hopefully next year will be a different story." The team all but ruled out Sabathia returning in 2014 after he had a setback early this month while he was on a minor league rehab assignment. He was hit hard July 2 in an outing for Double-A Trenton and woke up the next morning with swelling in the knee joint. One positive is that Sabathia, who turns 34 on Monday, will not have microfracture surgery Wednesday, which would require a longer recovery. Cashman said it will be an "arthroscopic debridement" -- basically, a cleanup procedure. The six-time All-Star and 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner has been out with a degenerative cartilage problem in his right knee since mid-May, when his ERA reached a career-high 5.28. "The rehab side of it which he went through, if you had three different options, that was the least," Cashman said. "Now were on the middle side of this thing, which is a cleanup of the knee, and hopefully thats good enough." The operation will be performed by Los Angeles Dodgers head physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Sabathia also had surgery on the knee in October 2010 to repair a small meniscus cartilage tear. After signing a $161 million, seven-year deal with the Yankees as a free agent before the 2009 season, Sabathia had his contract extended in 2011 by one year and $30 million. Making $23 million this season, Sabathia is scheduled to earn $23 million in 2015 and $25 million in 2016. The Yankees have a $25 million option on his deal for 2017 with a $5 million buyout. In other news, designated hitter Carlos Beltran was activated Friday from the seven-day concussion list. He batted sixth in the opener of a three-game interleague series against Cincinnati and hit an RBI single in the third inning. Rookie ace Masahiro Tanaka, sidelined with a partially torn ligament in his right elbow, wont begin a throwing program until hes pain-free. The Yankees hope he can avoid Tommy John surgery and return in September. Tanaka had a platelet-rich plasma injection. "Theres treatment, protocols, and when hes symptom-free hell start a throwing program, which obviously leads to bullpens, batting practices and hopefully rehab games. All of that has to happen without issue," Cashman said. "I know hes feeling better, but he doesnt feel symptom-free." Michael Pineda (right shoulder muscle injury) is throwing "very well" in Florida and the Yankees hope he can come back in August, Cashman said. The injuries to Sabathia, Tanaka, Pineda and Ivan Nova (season-ending Tommy John surgery) have left the third-place Yankees without four-fifths of their opening-day rotation. Hiroki Kuroda is the only one left, teaming with David Phelps, newcomer Brandon McCarthy and rookies Chase Whitley and Shane Greene to fill out a makeshift unit. Beltran was hit in the face with a ball that caromed off the batting cage July 9 in Cleveland and broke his nose. He said he was never told by a doctor that he had a concussion, but the Yankees were concerned and wanted to make sure he was OK. The club opened a roster spot for Beltran just before the All-Star break when right-hander Bryan Mitchell was optioned to Double-A Trenton after Sunday nights loss in Baltimore. The Yankees also announced they will honour captain Derek Jeter during a pregame ceremony Sept. 7. Jeter is retiring after the season. DeAnthony Melton Rockets Jersey . Doug Fister allowed two runs over seven innings and Washington hit three solo homers in a 6-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night. James Harden Rockets Jersey . Geovany Soto had an RBI for the Cubs. Carlos Silva gave up one run on three hits over six innings to pick up the win. Josh Willingham drove in the lone run for the Nationals, who had just four hits. https://www.rocketsrookiesshop.com/Austin-Rivers-City-Edition-Jersey/ . -- Canadian ski cross star Marielle Thompson accomplished two goals in one race Saturday. Marquese Chriss Jersey . The 25-year-old Brazilian player has only made four Premier League appearances for United this season and underwent a medical test in Italy on Friday. James Harden Jersey .B. -- Canadas Rachel Homan had ideal preparation for the playoffs at the Ford World Curling Championships with a pair of hard-fought wins over tenacious opponents Thursday.Charlie Nicholas offers up his latest set of predictions for the World Cup Qualifiers, tipping England to win but Scotland and Northern Ireland to struggle. Gareth Southgates side will be looking to maintain their 100 per cent record on Tuesday night when they visit Slovenia, while their neighbours will be keen to avoid losing further ground in Group F as they take on Slovakia after being held by Lithuania.Over in Group C, Michael ONeills Northern Ireland team face a contrasting task to their 4-0 win over San Marino when they visit tournament favourites Germany. Heres what Charlie is predicting in his Sky Bet tips...Slovenia v England England were 2-0 winners against Malta in their World Cup qualifier on Saturday It wasnt a glorious performance against Malta but did anybody really expect it to be an exciting game? I thought it should have been four or five but Malta never came out to play.We know Slovenia are technically decent but have they got enough to take on the big teams? Im not sure. Its a similar one to the Slovakia game and youd hope, being the home side, that they try to win the game. Find out who are the key players England can expect to face against Slovenia in their World Cup qualifier on Tuesday Theres this issue with Wayne Rooney,but what are the specifics of it? Are people are suggesting if he doesnt play No. 10 then he doesnt play? Dele Alli has clearly been picked to play somewhere else? There seems to be personal agenda against Rooney and its annoying one, even for a Scotsman!What we do know is Gareth Southgate likes Jesse Lingard. He played okay and got in some decent positions but I couldnt get excited about that performance at home to Malta. Gareth Southgate will take charge of his second game as England interim manager this week This is one of those games where youll create a few chances, take one and leave with the points but if Southgate is bold enough to stick with the forwards that he picked against a Malta then I think theyll win by more than goal and actually get more of a cut through with Theo Walcotts pace away if its more of an open game.Charlie predicts: 0-2 and Walcott to score first (22/1 with Sky Bet)Germany v Northern IrelandWell I know they did well there last time they met theres less pressure on the Germans this time, with six points on the board following 3-0 wins over their supposed main rivals to win the group, Czech Republic and Norway. Kyle Lafferty netted twice in Saturdays victory over San Marino I love watching different games on Match Choice because I dont always follow the Home Nations and there are games I wanted to see, such as how Spains new system worked at Albania and how Germany are evolving.ddddddddddddThe bad news is they dont really need to change much, with Mesut Ozil, Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos going boom, boom, boom. Theyre strong, theyre quick, theyre powerful. Highlights of Northern Irelands 4-0 win over San Marino from World Cup Qualifying Group C Northern Ireland are well-drilled but I just see how they can get through this one unscathed with so many threats to be wary of. Jonas Hector and Joshua Kimmich are virtually left and right wingers. They hardly ever defend and they are hitting the byline for fun.Charlie predicts: 2-0 and Muller to score first (9/1 with Sky Bet)Slovakia v ScotlandWell, Im a critical Scotland fan but we were awful. I felt it was a must win at home to Lithuania, who shouldve beaten us, and now it really is. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just £6.99. No contract. Were not good enough defensively and were not good enough on the ball. Gordon Strachan tried changing too much on Saturday. Oliver Burke is a talent but hes not consistent enough to rely on yet.Think we have to go back to a 4-5-1 formation which means being about the counter-attack. Scotland manager Gordon Strachan admits Slovakia are a tough side to analyse having made big changes to their team in the last few games Sadly I dont feel good about my team at all. We didnt create many chances and I can see Martin Skrtel doing the damage from a set-piece.Charlie predicts: 1-0 and Skrtel to score first (70/1 with Sky Bet)You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the British Masters on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Also See: Slovenia v England preview Sky Live: Germany v N Ireland ' ' '