Yankees LHP CC Sabathia had to undergo a heart procedure to fix a blockage in one of his arteries leading to his heart earlier this month, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reports.

During the week of Dec. 10, Sabathia and Red Sox CF Jackie Bradley Jr. were supposed to fly together to London to promote their respective teams facing each other in England during the 2019 season. However, Sabathia began experiencing some chest pain with symptoms of acid reflux and heartburn along with increased sweating during his normal exercising.

Sabathia decided to check it out, and doctors told him about the blockage. He underwent a procedure known as an angioplasty -- a common procedure to put a stent in the artery -- within days to clear things up.

"CC was experiencing some chest pain which turned out to be a blockage in one artery to his heart," Sabathia's agent, Kyle Thousand, said in a statement to The Athletic.

If Sabathia ignored the signs, he would have been at risk for a heart attack. The good news, though, is Sabathia is expected to make a full recovery, and be ready for Spring Training in February.

"We are thankful that CC was smart enough to convey his symptoms to our medical staff, and in turn they immediately engaged NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, who quickly determined the root cause of what ailed him," GM Brian Cashman said in a statement. "We are also encouraged that the procedure CC underwent was performed as planned. He is such a dynamic person beyond his excellence on the field, and we will proceed with his health at the forefront of our priorities. We will continue to follow the guidance and expertise of the doctors - who have conveyed that CC will report as scheduled to Tampa in February to prepare for the 2019 season."

Sabathia will enter his final season in 2019, which is his 19th year in the MLB. He signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the Yankees back on Nov. 7. The Yankees are hoping he can produce the same stats he had last season that included a 3.65 ERA over 153 innings (29 starts).

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