To say that Boston Red Sox starter Chris Sale has had bad luck with injuries would be an understatement.
He has made the grand total of 11 starts over the last three seasons.
He didn’t pitch in 2020 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, which took him until late 2021 to return.
In July 2022, he fractured his left pinky finger.
He came back in August, but underwent season-ending surgery after fracturing his right wrist in a bicycle accident.
Talk about bad luck!
Now, after going through so much, fans got to see the talented southpaw throwing a bullpen session on Wednesday.
Chris Sale on the mound. pic.twitter.com/8avwJ7xD1O
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) February 15, 2023
He appears to be right on schedule and is shaping up to be a member of the rotation in 2023, barring any injury setbacks.
Sale is expected to throw another bullpen session Saturday before progressing to facing hitters at some point next week.
He is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season.
It’s easy to forget that the left-hander was, from his MLB debut in 2010 until 2018, a top-five starter in the American League.
He spent many of those years with the Chicago White Sox, but was traded to Boston in 2017.
While he doesn’t have any Cy Young awards to his name, there is a lot of talent remaining in his left arm.
Perhaps he isn’t the sub-3.00s ERA pitcher he used to be, but a healthy Sale has the potential to contribute 150-160 innings of an ERA in the mid-3.00s if all goes well.
For now, the Red Sox’s priority is having him healthy to open the season or shortly after that.
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