The Red Sox were hit with yet another COVID-19 case when Chris Sale tested positive for the virus, making him the 10th Boston player to contract the coronavirus.
Sale will miss his start Sunday against the Chicago White Sox and will be out at least 10 days as he recovers. The southpaw also had COVID in January which resulted in a loss of taste and smell.
This time around, though, Sale is not experiencing symptoms.
“He feels good, he actually feels great,” Cora said prior to Boston’s series opener against the White Sox. “Hopefully he can come back right away, after his X amount of days are done.”
Cora noted he learned of the positive test Thursday night, so Sale did not travel with the team when they boarded the buses at Fenway Park around 4 p.m. ET. That likely helped the Red Sox in terms of deeming people close contacts considering they knew of the test the day before the game.
As for replacing Sale in the rotation, Cora is hopeful Nick Pivetta will be able to come off the COVID-19 related injury list and pitch Sunday. It’s unclear who will pitch Saturday.
The Red Sox — who were off Thursday — also have a day off next Thursday, and Cora believes the quieter schedule will benefit the team in regards to Sale’s return.
While it’s certainly not ideal to have the outbreak continue, the Red Sox do have some momentum swinging their way after a thrilling win Wednesday and taking over first place in the American League Wild Card standings after the New York Yankees dropped their game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
