Will Chris Sale Be On Pitch Count In Return? Alex Cora Mum On Possibility

Sale was throwing 80-plus pitches by the end of his rehab outings

Alex Cora is going to be cautious with Chris Sale, but will he be on a pitch count? The Boston Red Sox manager won’t give up his competitive advantage.

Sale is set to make his return to big league action Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles. The ace hasn’t pitched in a big league game in nearly two years due to Tommy John surgery undergone in March 2020.

It would be understandable if the Red Sox tried to limit Sale, who sometimes needs to be saved from himself due to his overly competitive nature. As to whether or not the Red Sox will take that approach remains to be seen.

“I’m not going to tell you, I’m not going to tell the opposition either,” Cora told reporters prior to the game. “But I will take care of him.”

For what it’s worth, Sale was in the neighborhood of 80 pitches in his final rehab starts.