Chris Sale has started his rehab stint with a flawless performance.
Pray for the minor leaguers who will have to face him over the next few weeks.
Sale made his first rehab start Thursday with the Florida Complex League Red Sox, and unsurprisingly, mowed through the opposition. The seven-time All-Star tossed three scoreless innings while striking out five.
His fastball reportedly sat at 93-94 mph, and his changeup and slider registered in the mid-80s and upper-70s.
Sale did scatter four hits, including a double to young Orioles farmhand Craig Lewis. That will probably be a story he’ll tell the grandkids.
Sale hasn’t experienced in-game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2020. Alex Cora has said the Red Sox would prefer Sale spend the majority of his rehab in Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, given their proximity to Boston.
The last time Sale took the mound was Aug. 13, 2019, which seems like an eternity ago. He labored through 25 starts that season.
The previous year, Sale was twice placed on the Injured List due to shoulder inflammation. He threw 15.1 innings for the Red Sox during their World Series run, including the final inning of Game 5 against the Dodgers.
He struck out Manny Machado with a nasty breaking ball for the win, sending the slugger down to one knee.
Assuming Sale’s rehab goes smoothly, he should rejoin the Red Sox’s rotation sometime in the second half. Boston’s rotation kept it together through the first half of the season, posting a 4.47 ERA.
But with Eduardo Rodriguez struggling, the Red Sox are short at the top of the rotation. Obviously, Sale could help fill that void.
He’s gone 109-73 during his stellar 10-year career, striking out an average of 11.1 batters per nine innings. The Red Sox re-signed Sale to a five-year, $145 million deal in March 2019.
