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When players spend an inordinate amount of time on the injured list, there is sometimes a presumption that they are “soft” or “milking it.” Despite carrying the injury-prone label for much of this decade, Chris Sale is leaving no doubt about his drive to take the mound.
The 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner is 36 years old and recovering from a fractured rib. The Atlanta Braves are 48-66 and 14 and a half games out of a playoff spot. Plenty of athletes in a similar position would probably play it safe and sit out the remainder of the campaign. But Sale is tired of ending the year on the shelf. He wants to pitch, and assuming he gets through the rest of his rehab process, that is exactly what he will do.
“I don’t care what our record says, I like to compete and I want to go out there and do my job,” the nine-time All-Star said, per The Athletic's David O'Brien. “I’ve missed enough baseball in my career that (ending the season with an injury) isn’t something that I’m OK with.
“I think it’s important to finish a year not on the IL and be able to at least hang my hat on the fact that I was able to finish the year pitching and upright. Going into the offseason knowing that there’s no real questions or concerns or anything that I’m going to have to, I guess you would say, take care of (in the offseason).”
Chris Sale aims to finish 2025 strong for Braves and himself
Sale's ambition should not surprise anyone. If one was not familiar with the man's commitment to his craft and the Braves, all they had to do was watch him sprawl out for a diving catch versus the New York Mets on June 18. That play, which is one of the last outs he recorded, came while the veteran left-hander was trying to preserve his first complete game shutout in more than six years. Instead, it is the reason he has been on the IL for the last 49 days and counting.
Sale has no regrets, though. He intends to lay his body on the line again if and when the opportunity arises. That time may come soon. The 2018 World Series champion threw live batting practice on Thursday (no issues as of now), drawing him closer toward a possible return. If Chris Sale clears the remaining checkpoints without incident, then Braves fans will have another reason to emotionally invest in this overall dismal campaign.
Following the best season of his terrific MLB career, the Pitching Triple Crown winner and Gold Glover has maintained his stellar form in 2025. He owns a 2.52 ERA with 114 strikeouts and a .652 OPS allowed through 89 1/3 innings of work. Sale has already done enough to convince Atlanta to exercise his $18 million club option this offseason. But this is about pride, loyalty, and perhaps most importantly, defiance in the face of the baseball gods.
After making just 75 starts since 2020, Sale is ready to maximize every ounce of baseball he has left. Who says it's only a game?
