Chris Sale Unsure Of Next Step, But Ready For More Reps At ‘High Leverage’

Chris Sale took another important step in his rehab from Tommy John surgery Tuesday night.

The Boston Red Sox pitcher tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings for the Portland Sea Dogs in front of a packed house that included just one walk, no hits, no runs and six strikeouts. Sale also reached 98 mph on the radar gun.

Sale now has two solid rehab starts under his belt — his first coming with the Florida Complex League — as he continues to work his way back to the Red Sox rotation.

After his no-hit outing that consisted of 49 pitches, Sale said despite the long recovery process, he’s just excited to be back on the mound.

“This has obviously been a long road,” Sale told reporters. “This is definitely the most fun part for me … I like getting after it. The more repetitions I can get at high leverage, the more I can be better from it.”

As for the next step? Well, we’re not quite sure just yet. The Red Sox probably will wait until Wednesday to see how Sale feels and decide what to do.

“I don’t know what’s next for me,” Sale said. “I’m going to show up tomorrow, get my work in, and see what’s next.”

Sale never has had a specific return date since he began throwing earlier this year, but he is slated to return this summer. After 49 pitches, though, Sale is happy with where he’s at.

“Today was a good day,” he said, per CNHI Sports’ Mac Cerullo. “Definitely a step in the right direction. I felt good throughout the entire game. Even in the third and fourth inning. Going back out there I felt like I was able to create some arm speed and make pitches when I needed to.”

Sale will be a welcome return to the rotation that has struggled at times this season.