Alex Cora says Chris Sale is feeling ‘a lot stronger’ than he has in years

Everything appears to look good for Chris Sale following his first rehab start.

The Red Sox ace threw three scoreless innings, striking out five hitters while pitching with the organization’s Florida Complex League on Thursday. After pitching in his first game since having Tommy John surgery, Sale is feeling good, too.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora shared he spoke with Sale on Friday, saying Sale told him he “felt great physically.”

 “Everything went well,” Cora told reporters Friday. “He’s really excited, like I said yesterday. The way he’s been able to come back on a daily basis is something that, it’s not that he’s surprised, he’s made some adjustments as far as his nutrition and his workouts and all that.

“He’s actually a lot stronger now than what he was a few years ago, and he’s very excited with that.”

Cora added that “if everything goes as planned,” Sale will make his next rehab appearance on Tuesday with Double-A Portland. Sale pitching five innings in that appearance is “100 percent” a possibility, according to Cora.

In addition to putting up strong stats, Sale’s fastball reportedly reached up to 94 mph during his outing on Thursday. He also mixed in his slider and changeup in his outing.

When Sale will make his return with the Red Sox remains to be seen, but the Red Sox could certainly use his arm. Four of their five starting pitchers have an ERA north of 4.00.

Sale last pitched in an MLB game in August 2019 and had Tommy John surgery in March 2020.

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