When it comes to Chris Sale, this is what we do know ...
- It has been 438 days (at this writing) from the time Sale had Tommy John surgery.
- Tuesday afternoon at Fenway Park he threw a bullpen session that included 25 pitches. It was a collection of tosses that incorporated fastballs, sliders and changeups.
- He feels good.
So, there you have it.
"I’ve been able to just let go of the fact that I have a huge scar on my arm and it was cut open 15 months ago. When I’m throwing, I feel normal," Sale said. "I feel like I did when I was a kid. I don’t have this thought in the back of my mind about the surgery I had on a given throw or anything like that. I was actually saying, the last two or three weeks, I feel like I’m starting to build up as a pitcher as opposed to on a back end of a rehab. Know what I mean? I don’t feel like I’m rehab throwing. I feel like I’m pitching throwing. That’s a good spot to be in. I’m appreciative of that."
But even without rock-solid evidence regarding anything else when it comes to Sale's return, there was a few more pieces of the puzzle that helped clarify where the pitcher stands.
For one, we know that Sale's activation isn't coming in the next few weeks, or even month. That was made perfectly clear when Alex Cora took it upon himself to define exactly how these recent throwing sessions might translate.
"The fact that he was only talking about mechanics is refreshing. He's in a great place mentally. Physically, he looks a lot stronger than two years ago," the Sox manager said. "He's just excited that he's a baseball player again. And now, you've just got to be patient. I asked Brady and Bushy (pitching coach Dave Bush) -- I'm not the pitching expert or medical expert -- what this means. In the offseason, his bullpen, what his timetable was. They said it's a bullpen in January. So basically saying don't get too excited. But it felt good to see him. It feels good to have him around. We get excited, but at the same time, we still have to be disciplined, we have to be patient. And whenever he's ready, we know he's going to contribute."
Then there is what it might look like when that time comes for a reunion with the 26-man roster.
That story has yet to be told, although it seems as though a chapter involving some time in the bullpen wouldn't be out of the question.
"If they told me, ‘Hey, we need a guy in the bullpen and we’ll build you up there instead of doing like a rehab assignment,’ hell, I would be game for that," Sale said. "The quicker I can get on this team, I would like that. But that is way above my pay grade and where I’m at right now. I’m focused on my next day and getting off the mound and whatever the next step is, take that, but I haven’t really talked about that a whole lot."
For now, it's still that always unsatisfying one day at a time. It will have to do.
"The last six months have been good," Sale said. "That’s been a process. Just, taking it a day at a time and whatever happens happens, and the next day is a new day. There’s been some really good days, there’s been some good days, and honestly there’s been some shit days. It’s all part of it. You’ve got to take each one as it comes and deal with it and just keep working. Like I said, I’m appreciative of where I’m at now, the work I’ve put in, the people I’ve been around who have helped me put that work in. I’m just excited for what’s next."
