Chris Sale’s role upon return from injury has been heavily debated among sports media and the Boston Red Sox fan base.
It appears that there is finally an answer to whether Sale will end up in the rotation or bullpen.
“I believe Chris Sale is a starter… He’s a starter in my eyes,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday on WEEI, as transcribed by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. “I know he wants to contribute…with him in the rotation, we’re a lot better. We’ll take it that way.”
While many fans calling for Sale to transition into a reliever simply think about reducing innings to preserve the left-hander, they seem to forget about the wear and tear of pitching multiple times a week.
A starter throws more innings but on a schedule with built-in recovery. A reliever is asked to come into the game at various points of general fatigue, which is far worse for a pitcher post-Tommy John surgery.
Cora is not only putting Sale in a position to maximize his value, but preserve his health.
