Chris Sale made his return return to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday after 265 days away from Major League Baseball. It was a long road back for Sale, but evidently he made lots of friends along the way.
The FCL Red Sox made a two-hour drive from JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla. to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg on Monday to see Boston’s top pitching prospect Brayan Bello make his second career big-league start. When they got to the Trop, the minor-leaguers also got to see former teammate Chris Sale, who made a pair of rehab appearances with them in June.
Sale, just over 24 hours from his return, seemed to be relaxed as he joined on a group hug with a group mostly made up of players 10-plus years his junior.
It was a trip to remember for the FCL Red Sox, who have been dominant this season in Florida Complex League play with an 18-9 record. Miguel Bleis, Boston’s No. 7 prospect, according to Sox Prospects, is a part of that group, slashing .280/.512/.838 with three home runs in 21 games.
You can watch Sale’s return to the Red Sox live on NESN, with first pitch taking place at 7:10 p.m. ET.
