Everything seemed to be progressing positively for Chris Sale.
Then all of a sudden, it wasn’t.
The Boston Red Sox on Thursday announced the left-hander will undergo Tommy John surgery a day after Sale began a throwing program in Fort Myers, Fla.
It hasn’t been the easiest start to 2020 for Sale. Let’s recap:
Feb. 12: Sale diagnosed with pneumonia
Feb. 23: Sale optimistic he’d be ready for Opening Day (of course, this since has been postponed indefinitely)
Feb 27: Interim manager Ron Roenicke announces Sale will begin season on injured list
March 1: Sale throws first live batting practice since Aug. 2019
March 3: Sale undergoes MRI on elbow
March 4: Sale expected to avoid Tommy John surgery “at this point” after being diagnosed with flexor strain
March 14: Postponed season wasn’t expected to impact Sale’s rehab
March 18: Begins throwing program
March 19: Red Sox announce Sale will have surgery
During a conference call with chief baseball baseball officer Chaim Bloom and Roenicke on Thursday, The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reported the decision for the southpaw to have surgery “became clear” after he experienced pain after throwing outside Tuesday.
Sale started throwing Friday, threw lightly in a cage Sunday, then threw outside Tuesday, and experienced enough pain that he had to shut it down. Decision after that became clear.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) March 19, 2020
There is no date as of yet for Sale’s surgery.
