Chris Sale's first rehab assignment officially is in the books.
The Boston Red Sox pitcher allowed four hits over three scoreless innings while striking out five during an outing in the Florida Complex League on Thursday. It was the first game Sale had played since the 2019 Major League Baseball season.
The hard-throwing lefty has progressed nicely since undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2020. Sale threw a few live BP's at Polar Park, Fenway Park and in Fort Myers before Thursday's game.
Manager Alex Cora spoke to Sale afterward and provided a positive update on the southpaw.
"I just talked to him," Cora said over Zoom before Boston's game against the New York Yankees was postponed. "He's very excited. Going into the game, he felt good. During the game, he felt good. After the game, he felt good. Now, we have to wait until tomorrow and see how it goes but the plan is for him to go to Portland for next week."
The plan is for Sale to throw at least five innings in a rehab start before joining the Red Sox, so it's certainly a good sign that he threw three in his first outing.
Sale undoubtedly will help the starting rotation, and it will be a welcome addition after what seems like an eternity away.
