The time almost is here for Chris Sale to return to the Boston Red Sox.
The left-handed pitcher will make what could be his final rehab start in Triple-A on Wednesday night for the WooSox. Sale had two starts with the Florida Complex League and one with the Portland Sea Dogs last week when he tossed four innings.
It's been a long road back for Sale, who suffered a stress fracture in his ribcage just before the start of spring training and also dealt with a setback later in his recovery. He's been on the mend and making steady progress.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora joined Sirius XM's MLB Network Radio on Tuesday and revealed, via MLB Network's Jon Morosi, that Sale could return to the rotation as early as next week. As long as Sale feels OK Thursday with no lingering pain, he could be activated early next week.
The Red Sox rotation certainly could use some help with Rich Hill, Nate Eovaldi and Garrett Whitlock all dealing with injuries. Eovaldi and Whitlock did throw live batting practice Tuesday at Fenway Park, which is encouraging. Hill watched his teammates from the stands as he deals with a knee sprain.
All eyes will be on Sale in Worcester on Wednesday to see how he fares for the WooSox.
