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Boston Red Sox fans might have to pinch themselves for this news: Chris Sale is healthy and should be ready to report to Spring Training next month.
Sale said he has been throwing for a couple months now and has recently been doing some work off the mound, according to the The Boston Globe's Peter Abraham. His consistent presence at the top of the rotation could potentially be a big boost and some much-needed positivity after the team lost longtime pillar Xander Bogaerts to free agency this winter. That is if he stays healthy, and as his medical history shows, that is a big “if.”
The southpaw has faced a long on-and-off battle on the Injured Reserve since being traded to Boston from the Chicago White Sox in December of 2016. The myriad of ailments Sale has endured since ranges from well-known pitcher injuries like Tommy John surgery (2020) to a freak fractured finger from a line drive to a downright improbable broken wrist he suffered in a biking accident. It is safe to say, and rather unfortunate, the Red Sox trainer and Sale probably know each other a little better than they should.
Those health problems have largely come to define Sale's hefty five-year, $145 million extension (two years left). He is determined to change that narrative, though, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com. “I owe the front office the starting pitcher they paid for and I owe the fans the performances that they're paying to come and see,” Sale said.
Of course, the Red Sox know how valuable Chris Sale can be when he is at full strength. He put together a Cy Young-caliber season in 2018 (2.11 ERA) en route to the team winning its ninth World Series Championship in franchise history. It should be noted, Sale did miss time toward the end of the year and was not his best self in the postseason. The point remains, though. A dominant Sale means good things for Boston baseball.
The Red Sox and their fans will hope Sale is extra careful as he prepares to make his first Opening Day start since the 2019 season.
