Chris Sale ‘Feels Great’ After Dominant Outing For Sea Dogs; What’s Next For Pitcher

Chris Sale’s progress is getting better and better every day, and that trend continued Wednesday.

Sale dominated with the Portland Sea Dogs on Tuesday, striking out six over 3 2/3 scoreless innings in front of a sold out crowd.

As we know by now, the day after a start is more important than the start itself, and if Sale felt the least bit uncomfortable, we’re sure the Boston Red Sox wouldn’t hesitate to stretch out his time in the minors and give him added rest.

But that wasn’t the case, and Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Sale “feels great” after Tuesday’s performance.

“He feels great. Actually, he’s going through his Day 1 progression in Portland,” Cora said over Zoom. “He’ll be with us (Thursday) and, if I’m not mistaken, he’ll be back on the mound with his regular rest, which is Sunday. Everybody is excited with what we saw yesterday. I’m happier with the way he reacted today and hopefully we keep progressing the way he should be and he’ll join us whenever he’s ready.”

Sale is slated to pitch again Sunday with the Sea Dogs given the fact Double-A Portland is at home.

The plan has been been for Sale to pitch five innings in a rehab start before the Red Sox activate him to the roster.

One thing’s for certain, the wait for Sale to return only is getting closer.