Chris Sale On Track To Make Next Start For Red Sox; Feels Good After Debut

Chris Sale’s first start in two years was solid, and it sounds like there were no setbacks from his start.

The Red Sox pitcher struck out eight over five innings in Boston’s 16-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday afternoon. Sure, it was against the lowly O’s, but getting Sale back on the mound as the Red Sox make a push for the postseason is crucial.

As we know from Sale’s rehab, the day after is important to assess how he is feeling, and manager Alex Cora provided a positive update

“He’s doing OK. He showed up, so everything is fine,” Cora told reporters over Zoom prior to the Red Sox’s finale at Fenway Park. “We’ll see how he feels throughout the day, but we expect him to make his next start on Friday.”

Cora further explained why his return meant a lot to the Red Sox.

“Besides the player, the pitcher, it meant a lot because a lot of people had to deal with the process,” Cora said. “It wasn’t just our athletic trainers, it was the strength and conditioning coaches, the people in Fort Myers. There was a lot of moving parts … As an organization it felt great.”

Sale’s next start comes against the Texas Rangers on Friday. Until then, he’ll be watching from the dugout as the Red Sox look to gain some ground in the American League East.