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Andy Pettitte suffered a fractured left ankle on Wednesday, and the 40-year-old pitcher is expected to be out a minimum of four-to-six weeks.

Pettitte suffered the injury during the fifth inning of Wednesday’s game against Cleveland, when he was hit on the ankle by a comebacker off the bat of Indians first baseman Casey Kotchman. The lefty threw some warm-up pitches and tried to stay in the game, but was removed by manager Joe Girardi after throwing just one pitch – a strike – to the next batter.

"I saw him throw a couple pitches and he said 'I'm okay, let me try it' and I said okay," Girardi said after the game. "But I saw him throw the one pitch, and when he had to put a little more intensity into it, he kind of hobbled. That made me take him out."

X-rays revealed the fracture, and while he won’t need surgery, Pettitte will be placed on crutches and into a boot, with the anticipated healing time leaving him out of action until at least mid-August.

"It's frustrating ... you get hit on the leg on a ball up the middle, and now you're going to be out four-to-six weeks before you can probably throw a baseball," Girardi said.

Pettitte’s injury compounded an already painful Wednesday for the Yankees, who also placed CC Sabathia on the disabled list with a strained groin earlier in the day, and leaves Girardi to reshuffle his rotation going forward.

Freddy Garcia, who Girardi had said Wednesday morning was the top choice to take Sabathia's turn against the White Sox on Friday, was pressed into service in relief of Pettitte instead, and got the win after throwing 32 pitches in 2 1/3 perfect innings. He threw an additional 30 in the bullpen in an attempt to stretch himself out, and will now instead take Pettitte's spot in the rotation to pitch on Monday at Tampa Bay.

"I felt I needed to try to win the game," Girardi said of Garcia's appearance, "and Freddy did an outstanding job. He's one of the reasons we won this game today."

Girardi also confirmed that RHP Adam Warren will be called up to replace Sabathia and start on Friday against Chicago. General manager Brian Cashman also said that Ryota Igarashi will likely be recalled for Thursday's series opener to give the Yankees an extra arm in the bullpen.

Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroYES