Red Sox place ace Chris Sale on the 10-day disabled list
The Boston Red Sox have unexpectedly placed left-handed pitcher Chris Sale on the disabled list with left shoulder inflammation.
Well, that came out of nowhere. While we were busy debating the moves the Boston Red Sox should have made at the trade deadline, the team dropped a bombshell about an indispensable player they will now be without. At least for a little while.
The Red Sox announced on Tuesday that left-handed pitcher Chris Sale has been placed on the 10-day disabled list with left shoulder inflammation.
The #RedSox today placed LHP Chris Sale on the 10-day disabled list with mild left shoulder inflammation, retroactive to July 28. To fill Sale’s spot on the 25-man roster, the club recalled RHP Brandon Workman from Triple-A Pawtucket.
— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 31, 2018
The move is retroactive to July 28, one day after Sale made his last start. He tossed six shutout innings in a win over the Minnesota Twins. There was no indication following this outing that Sale’s shoulder was bothering him.
Opposing hitters haven’t been bothering Sale lately either. The lefty is 5-0 with a 0.23 ERA over his last six starts. Sale leads the league with a 2.03 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and 207 strikeouts this season. He’s the clear frontrunner for the Cy Young, so long as injury doesn’t hold him back.
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The team has termed the inflammation as “mild” yet you’ll have to excuse Red Sox fans if they are more than mildly concerned. Any ailment for the ace is cause for panic.
It’s unclear if the Red Sox knew about Sale’s sore shoulder prior to the 4:00 p.m. trade deadline. If there were any concerns about Sale being sidelined for an extended period then you would assume they would have pushed to make a trade for another starting pitcher. Perhaps their inactivity should be taken as an encouraging sign.
Sale will be eligible to return on August 7 against the Toronto Blue Jays. According to Dave Dombrowski, Sale is “adamant” he will make that start. If that’s true, it means he will end up missing only one start. That’s the good news. The bad news is that one start he’s missing comes during the series against the New York Yankees.
There could be a silver lining to Sale taking a brief hiatus on the DL. The Red Sox have made a concerted effort to monitor his workload this season. He has pitched more than seven innings in a start only three times this season and wasn’t allowed to throw 100+ pitches until his fifth start. Sale was on pace for about 205 innings this season after leading the league with 214 1/3 last year. Missing a start should keep him comfortably under 200 innings. Sale tired a bit down the stretch in 2017 and has a history of late-season fades, so limiting his innings should keep him fresh for the postseason.
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Ideally, the start he missed wouldn’t be against the Yankees. It’s only one of the most important series remaining on their regular season schedule. Sale is predictably disappointed that he has to miss time but he understands the decision to temporarily shut him down. The Red Sox can’t be too careful when it comes to the health of their ace. If Sale is feeling any soreness, better to be safe than sorry. As much as they could have used him against the Yankees, a quick stint on the DL will be what’s best for Sale in the long run.