Chris Sale had a rough 2019 season that he saw end prematurely due to an elbow injury.
The Boston southpaw statistically had his worst season as a starter, posting a 6-11 record with a 4.40 ERA. Sale landed on the injured list last August and didn’t pitch again in 2019 due to elbow inflammation. He underwent treatment, receiving a PRP injection from Dr. James Andrews.
He was cleared to resume throwing in November and said he felt “really good” in December. All signs pointed to Sale being fine to begin spring training, but a bout with pneumonia recently has limited Sale in Ft. Myers, Fla. But the good news? His elbow is completely healthy.
Then again, that obviously wasn’t the case last year and Sale opened up a bit about the injury Sunday.
“No one at any point was ever worried,” the lefty said, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “I guess this was a major injury. But no one was ever stressed — at least in front of me. I went and saw James Andrews and he just looks at it, he’s like, ‘Yeah, man. You’ll be all right. Throw some PRP in that thing, I’ll see you in a few weeks and we’ll be good to go.’ He’s the best of the best. He can do this with his eyes closed I’m pretty sure now. When he gives you that level of confidence, it makes you feel more confident.â€
Does he think he’ll be good to go come Opening Day?
“I think I’ll be ready for Opening Day, but I don’t make the rules,” Sale said. “I’m a competitor. If the season started tomorrow, I’d tell you I could go out there and throw five or six innings. But the guys in my corner might have something different to say.â€
Classic Sale.
Boston’s first full squad workout is Monday.
Thumbnail photo via Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports Images
