The Boston Red Sox have placed ace Chris Sale on the 10-day Injured List retroactive to Aug. 14, the team announced on Saturday:
The #RedSox today placed LHP Chris Sale on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation, retroactive to August 14.
To fill Sale’s spot on the 25-man roster, the club recalled RHP Ryan Brasier from Triple-A Pawtucket.
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 17, 2019
Sale missed time due to left shoulder inflammation in August of 2018, and has had a history of second-half injuries throughout his career.
Boston's starting rotation has been one of the most disappointing groups in baseball, and Sale has arguably been the biggest disappointment of all.
After signing a massive five-year, $145 million extension during Spring Training, Sale struggled right out of the gate, giving up seven earned runs in his first start and posting a 6.30 ERA in April.
Shockingly, Sale's velocity on his fastball was down in the lower 90s, a trend that has persisted over the course of 2019. His average velocity is just 93.4 mph this season, nearly two ticks off his average velocity in 2018 (95.2 mph).
Sale looked to have things back on track after he posted sub-3.00 ERAs in both May and June, but he simply has not been able to string together quality performances in the second half. The imposing left-hander has a 5.36 ERA through seven starts after the All-Star break.
This season has to be as perplexing to Sale as it is to fans. He is running the highest K/9 of his career (13.3, which is also the best mark in the MLB), but has also already given up 24 homers.
The Red Sox have all but fallen out of the Wild Card race, which might impact just how long Sale actually remains on the Injured List.
It would not be a surprise for Boston to shut him down if they cannot make up ground in a hurry.
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