Chris Sale out until at least August because of shoulder, latest injury setback
NEW YORK (AP) — Boston left-hander Chris Sale will probably be sidelined till at the least August due to a stress response in his left scapula, the most recent in a sequence of setbacks because the Red Sox agreed to a long-term deal earlier than the 2019 season that assured him $160 million.
Sale left a June 1 begin in opposition to Cincinnati within the fourth inning due to shoulder soreness, an outing through which his velocity began to drop within the third. The 34-year-old went on the 15-day injured record the next day and Boston moved him to the 60-day IL on Friday. He received’t throw for three-to-four weeks, and the earliest he can return is Aug. 1.
“Now we’ve just got to be patient,” Red Sox supervisor Alex Cora stated earlier than a sequence opener on the New York Yankees. “No surgical procedure, and that’s huge for us.”
Kutter Crawford seemingly will take a flip within the rotation on Tuesday in opposition to Colorado.
As a part of a flurry of strikes, pitcher Matt Dermody was designated for task, a day after he made his first main league begin and stated he regretted posting a homophobic tweet two years in the past.
Boston additionally activated outfielder Adam Duvall from the 60-day injured record after he recovered from a damaged left wrist and chosen the contract of left-hander Joe Jacques Triple-A Worcester.
Sale is 16-15 with a 4.21 ERA in 47 begins since agreeing in March 2019 to a deal that added $145 million over 5 years via 2024. He had been an All-Star for seven straight seasons on the time of the contract, going 103-62 with a 2.89 ERA in his first 9 large league seasons.
Sale was restricted to at least one begin from late July to mid-September in 2018 due to shoulder irritation, then returned and helped the Red Sox win the World Series.
He didn’t pitch after Aug. 13 in 2019 due to left elbow irritation, missed the entire pandemic-shortened 2020 season following Tommy John surgical procedure that sidelined him till Aug. 14, 2021. and didn’t pitch till July final yr due to a stress fracture in a rib on his proper facet. He returned for 2 begins, then broke his left pinkie when hit by a line drive off the bat of the Yankees’ Aaron Hicks. Before Sale might return from that, he broke his proper wrist in a motorcycle accident.
“He’s used to it,” Cora stated. “He’s been via lots since 2018. … It takes a toll.”
Sale is 5-2 with a 4.58 ERA in 11 begins this season.
“In the beginning it was a little bit rough, but it was part of the progression,” Cora stated. “When he got going, it was very close to the guy that pitched in ’17 and ’18 here. Velocity was up, the slider was getting there and the changeup was a work in progress. And he dominated big league lineups.”
