We all love the idea of Chris Sale. He’s a brash, hard-throwing lefty whose blistering personality and alpha dog mentality immediately endeared him to Red Sox Nation. But let’s face it: Sale is better in theory than reality these days.
His latest injury setback is another reminder of how he’s nothing close to an ace, or even a dependable arm. Only three years and $75 million to go!
This was supposed to be the season Sale finally returned to form. Two years removed from Tommy John surgery, he should be fully recovered and ready to let it rip. After all, he’s only thrown 42.2 innings since Aug. 14, 2019.
Instead, Sale is experiencing another setback. He injured his rib Feb. 24 while throwing during the lockout and will begin the season on the 60-day IL, the team announced Monday. He said Tuesday he hopes to be throwing by next week, when the Red Sox return to Boston.
How dispiriting.
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It was easy to determine that Dave Dombrowski acted recklessly when he re-signed Sale to a five-year, $145 million contract in March 2019 — one year before he was slated to hit the open market. With a thin build and violent delivery, Sale was always viewed as an injury risk. His physical breakdown at the end of the 2018 season solidified those concerns.
Yet, Dombrowski extended him anyway.
The Red Sox acquired Sale for Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech, and one year into the deal, it looked like a coup. Sure, Moncada and Kopech were studs, but Sale was an ace in the prime of his career. He led the league in innings pitched in 2017, when he stuck out a league-leading 308 batters and finished second in Cy Young voting.
That dominance continued into 2018, making the masses forget about his subpar postseason performance against the Astros. Sale posted a crazy 1.97 ERA through his first 23 starts, and fanned 219 batters in 146 innings. But then the injuries happened, and they haven’t stopped. Since then, Sale has missed time due to Tommy John surgery, shoulder inflammation, elbow inflammation, and now, a rib stress fracture. Don’t forget, Sale is also unvaccinated, meaning he may not be eligible to pitch in Toronto this season.
That should be fine. The Blue Jays are only World Series favorites.
But then again, we don’t know how well Sale will pitch against the Blue Jays — or anyone this season. He was OK in nine outings last year, struggling immensely against the moribund Orioles and Nationals in his final two appearances. His playoff performance was even worse.
Sale allowed eight earned runs in nine innings of work. Sadly, his once scorching fastball largely resembled batting practice (he showed some life in Game 5 against the Astros).
Now we found out Sale will be out until June, at least. It puts the Red Sox in a precarious spot. They’re going to count on Michael Wacha and Rich Hill to fill out 40 percent of their rotation. Good thing back-end starters are just glorified openers these days.
Sale, at this point, is a glorified sunk cost. It stinks, too. He’s such an engaging personality. On “The Greg Hill Show” Monday, Sale dished about everything from Xander Bogaerts’ status to the Astros cheating scandal.
It’s too bad he’s unable to bring that electricity to the mound.
