The Boston Red Sox spoke today on the health of their top ace but refrained from getting too detailed on his status heading into the offseason.
It’s been eight weeks since Red Sox ace Chris Sale went to get his elbow checked out by Dr. James Andrews. Since that visit, things have been all quiet on the rehab front from all parties. An initial press conference was held to make it known that Sale underwent a PRP injection and that he would be shut down for the remainder of the season.
Red Sox Nation hasn’t heard much from the organization or Sale himself since the news broke. With the turmoil surrounding the club heading into the winter, it would boost spirits knowing that the ace of the franchise is doing well. We got that confirmation today from interim GM Eddie Romero, well, sort of.
"“We don’t have an update since the press conference (Sept. 30),” Romero replied. “Chris is doing very well in Ft Myers.”"
So there’s no update, but he’s doing very well. That statement is a bit of a conundrum because if there was nothing to speak of then why mention that he’s doing well? Or Romero could’ve simply said he was doing well with a generic blurb about his rehab to conclude. By delivering the statement how he did it instantly had my mind pondering if things truly were going well.
Why say that there were no updates but then make sure to mention that Sale was doing well. Again, Romero could’ve just said there weren’t any updates and left it at that. Is everything going well? I’d like to think so but the Red Sox aren’t doing much to put that worry to ease. This is reminiscent of how the 2018 season ended for Sale. A mystery injury with more questions than answers.
Towards the end of the 2018 campaign, the Red Sox had to give Sale extra rest due to shoulder issues. He would essentially be a non-factor through September. When it came time for the postseason he didn’t have the fire that we saw during the regular season and felt vulnerable on the mound. In fact, we wouldn’t see much of him at all due to a mysterious stomach ailment that attributed to his poor outings.
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If I recall we never got a definitive answer to what exactly the issue was in October. Food poisoning? The flu? Who knows! Surely not us and that just adds more fuel to the fire surround his most recent injury. Now Boston doesn’t need to come out and give a blow by blow on his rehab but something more than a generic statement would be nice. Even some sort of loose timetable for rehab milestones would be an upgrade from what we got.
This year was an absolute nightmare for Chris and the elbow injury was just another chapter in the horror story. He finished 2019 with a 6-11 record through 147.1 IP with a 4.40 ERA. Not quite the numbers the Red Sox were hoping for from a guy that just signed a 5-year/$145M contract extension before the season started.
It wasn’t all bad this season though as Sale threw not just one but two immaculate innings. The feat was easily the highlight in an otherwise dim campaign, and he did it twice. He would also record his seventh 200+ strikeout season and would become the fastest to 2000 K’s as well.
There were moments of brilliance for the southpaw during the year but sadly they would be fleeting and leave as quickly as hey arrived. It never felt like he was truly the pitcher we knew him to be and things never clicked. It’s hard to know if he was ever fully healthy at any point in this last season.
It’s been an odd year for the Red Sox and Chris Sale and it doesn’t feel like it’s going to get any better in the near future. The injuries are becoming more common and the explanations for rare which can lead to uneasiness among the fans. We don’t need to know Sale’s full medical report but an actual update wouldn’t hurt. If the Red Sox want to contend in 2020 they’re going to need to do whatever it takes to get Sale as healthy as possible.