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Red Sox starter Chris Sale feels ‘amazing’ after live batting practice, will be ‘more aggressive’
"How he feels the next day is the most important thing."
Red Sox starter Chris Sale felt “amazing” after facing batters over the weekend, according to Alex Cora.
Sale underwent Tommy John surgery in March of 2020, and the reported “best-case” scenario was a June/July 2021 return. That timeline is still uncertain, but Cora offered several encouraging updates after Sale threw 15 pitches against hitters.
“Fastball, changeup, slider, everything went well, he felt good about it,” Cora told reporters via Zoom last week. “His next one is next week. We’re excited. He looked really good.”
Prior to the Red Sox’ game against the Royals on Tuesday, Cora said the most important aspect of Sale’s rehab is how he feels the next day.
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“So far in between that live BP up to now he’s feeling amazing,” Cora said. “[He’ll] go through his work tomorrow and see how he reacts on Thursday.”
Cora added that Sale will likely be “more aggressive” with his pitches on Wednesday.
Over the weekend, Cora made it clear the Red Sox have no intention of trading Sale.
“You start thinking ahead to when he’s going to contribute, when he’s going to be part of what we’re trying to accomplish,” Cora told reporters on Sunday. “That’s the fun part. Obviously, teams are going to make moves in the upcoming weeks and try to improve.
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“One thing for sure, nobody can trade for Chris Sale. We can add Chris Sale to our equation and we’re very excited about that.”
Sale is a seven-time All-Star and a seven-time finalist for the Cy Young award. The former White Sox star has a career ERA of 3.03 with 2,007 total strikeouts.
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