Get the latest Boston sports news
Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
Experts weigh in on Chris Sale’s surgery and potential recovery time
Opinions between experts are split on when the Red Sox pitcher could be back.
The Red Sox announced that pitcher Chris Sale had successful surgery to repair the broken finger in his pitching hand, which he suffered in his final start before the All-Star break.
Per the team, Sale underwent surgery to repair “an open reduction and internal fixation of a left fifth finger proximal phalanx fracture.”
Sale’s sudden absence sparked conversations about what the Red Sox should do at the trade deadline, but it remains unclear when Sale might be back — the team did not establish a timeline in its press release regarding his surgery.
Doctors and experts on Twitter weighed in on how long Sale’s injury could hold him out. Dr. Jessica Flynn of Boston Sports Journal gave perhaps the most optimistic timeline, noting that Sale’s return “could be around 4 weeks, depending on how well he is healing/how comfortable he feels throwing.”
Christopher Geary, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine in Brockton, was less optimistic. In an interview with Julian Mack of the Boston Globe, Geary said mid-September would be a best-case scenario for Sale.
Advertisement:
“That’s best case,” Geary told Mack. “That would be pushing the envelope as well.”
Still, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, the Red Sox are yet to rule anything out.
For Sale, who pitched just 11 games total over the past two seasons, the injury was the latest in a long, frustrating line of random occurrences.
“Obviously the reaction is, you think more about the person instead of the player, right?” Alex Cora said after the injury. “He’s been through a lot. And obviously put himself in this situation, he was ready to compete, and now he’ll have to wait.
Advertisement:
“It’s not about the baseball player, it’s about the person. I talked to him a little bit about obstacles throughout the journey, the last few years. I don’t want to say disappointment but kind of like, ‘Here we go again.’ That was my reaction.”
Sale knew the finger was broken immediately.
“That feeling of just that kind of cold water rushing through your body when something like that happens,” Sale said. “As soon as I hit the ground, I looked down, the finger is gone.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com