Chris Sale returns to Fenway Park on Friday
Sale suffered a shoulder injury on June 1 and has been on the 60-day injury list ever since.
A Red Sox star will make his return to Fenway Park soon.
Red Sox
The Red Sox have activated left-handed pitcher Chris Sale from the 60-day injured list on Friday. In addition, left-handed pitcher Brandon Walter will be optioned to Triple-A Worcester.
Sale last pitched for the Red Sox on June 1 against the Cincinnati Reds. He left the game in the fourth inning due to shoulder soreness, which was a symptom of a stress reaction he suffered in his left scapula. The Red Sox initially put him on the 15-day IL the next day, but transferred him to the 60-day IL a week later.
Friday’s game will mark Sale’s triumphant return to the mound, but by no means is it his first. Sale has had putrid injury luck ever since he helped the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series.
He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020 and missed that entire season. He made his return in late-2021, but a rib injury he suffered in the offseason kept him out of the first half of 2022. Only two games after his comeback in July 2022, a line drive hit him in his finger, sidelining him again. A bike incident he suffered while he was on the injury list ended his season for good.
Sale played in just 11 games before his most recent injury, but the Red Sox are hoping he’ll stay in their ever-changing rotation. As of now, they currently start Brayan Bello, James Paxton, Kutter Crawford, and Nick Pivetta, while saving a game for the bullpen. With Sale’s return, that rotation will certainly be shaken up, but it is currently unclear how.
There’s almost no chance that Bello or Paxton will move to the bullpen, and it’s not likely that Crawford will either. Sale will most likely take the bullpen game slot, but it’s not impossible for Pivetta to move to the relief role he dominated just a few weeks ago.
Sale will be the first of three injured pitchers making his return to the major leagues, with Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck set to join him soon. Both Whitlock and Houck are undergoing rehab assignments in Triple-A Worcester and are expected to make their returns in the coming days.
The Red Sox currently sit four games behind a wild card spot. Inconsistent pitching has been a key reason why, and they have sorely missed Sale’s presence. With an improved and more secure rotation, and a little bit of luck, the Red Sox could possibly jump back into a playoff spot before season’s end.
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