Chris Sale will miss more than just the start of the 2022 season due to his rib injury.
The Boston Red Sox on Monday moved the pitcher to the 60-day injured list with a right rib stress fracture. As such, he will be out through at least the first weekend of June. Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reported the run on the injured list starts on Opening Day and is not retroactive.
This latest update is somewhat surprising, considering Sale seemed positive while speaking to reporters on Saturday.
“(MRI results show) the bone is healing,” Sale said Saturday, per WEEI’s Rob Bradford. “Everything is shrinking, the edema is going away. So, yeah, good news.”
The latest setback is a tough break for Sale, who is looking to rebound after an up-and-down season that followed Tommy John surgery.
The Red Sox are planning to start the season with a rotation of Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta, Tanner Houck, Michael Wacha and Rich Hill, with the final spot announced Monday.
