Chris Sale seems to be progressing nicely.
The Boston Red Sox lefty underwent successful Tommy John surgery in March. And although it's likely he won't be ready to go come Opening Day in 2021, Sale is making strides towards his recovery.
Manager Ron Roenicke spoke to reporters via Zoom prior to Boston's final game at Fenway Park against the Baltimore Orioles and revealed the southpaw began a throwing program a few weeks ago.
That's certainly good news, but Roenicke is remaining realistic.
"It's still a long road ahead of him," he said.
A pitching staff of Sale, Eduardo Rodriguez, Nathan Eovaldi and MartÃn Pérez looks promising if all four remain healthy in 2021. Couple that with what we've seen from Tanner Houck and Nick Pivetta, there's plenty of reason to be optimistic about the future.