Chris Sale is expected to make his final rehab start Saturday with Triple-A Worcester.
With a return to the Boston Red Sox in sight, there naturally is a goal line Sale will be trying to reach before his recovery from Tommy John surgery is considered complete.
Before Friday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, manager Alex Cora shared the expectations for Sale, who will throw against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in Pennsylania.
“I think it’s five or six (innings) and I think it’s 90 pitches if I’m not mistaken,” Cora said. “That’s the goal. Tomorrow is kind of like a regular start, so we’ll treat it like that, and obviously from there we’ll make decisions. But it feels like it’s the last one.”
Sale already has made four rehab starts, with his last outing coming last Saturday. He lasted five innings and gave up one run on five hits, striking out seven and walking one for the WooSox. Sale made a pair of starts in Double-A Portland and recorded one appearance in the Florida Complex League as part of his rehab.
The Red Sox rotation could use a boost from a healthy Sale. Dating back to July 28, Boston’s starters have a 7.82 ERA, which is the worst in Major League Baseball over that span, according to FanGraphs. The Red Sox are 2-7 in that stretch.
