6:37 pm: Ryan Brasier has been called up from Triple-A Pawtucket to fill Sale’s spot on the active roster, according to a report from the Boston Herald’s Steve Hewitt (link).
4:52 pm: It appears the issue may indeed be more serious than initially believed. Per President of Baseball Ops Dave Dombrowski (h/t to Bill Koch of the Providence Journal) the injury is “brand new” and the team will seek a second opinion from renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews. No timetable has been set for Sale’s return.
4:34 pm: The Red Sox have placed lefty Chris Sale on the 10-Day IL with left elbow inflammation, the team reports.
The 30-year-old Sale’s performance has been much-maligned this season, though apart from his participation in the league-wide gopher-ball parade, his dominant stuff seems very well intact. Sale’s still setting down a league-best 13.32 per nine, walking a minuscule 2.26/9, and getting grounders at a league-average rate. His FIP is a full run lower than his 4.40 ERA, while his 2.94 xFIP (a metric that accounts for his career-worst 19.5% HR/FB) ranks second in the AL to Gerrit Cole.
In short, it’s still all there for Sale, provided the left-hander isn’t dealing with a more serious injury to his left elbow than initially believed. The Red Sox have fallen six and a half games behind Tampa in the team’s quest for a second wild card spot, so perhaps it’d be prudent to give the seven-time all-star all the rest he needs.
Sucks to see such a great SP get hurt. Looks like the White Sox traded him when his value was at an all time high though
Unfortunately things can work xactly that way, n sometimes the opposite. We love Chris n it hurts us as much as him when he fails in a game!
That may be so, but I still root for him!
Sad.
He’s been one of the best pitchers in baseball for the last 2 years for the Red Sox. You make it sound like they got him at this past deadline.
That’s what I thought also, 94Yankees.
True. But it also looks like the Red Sox won a World Series.
@chitown311 Not attacking you. I just like to check the narrative,
Narrative: Sale has been much worse since traded to Boston.
w/ Chicago: 3.00 ERA | FIP 3:00 | H/9 = 7..5 | HR/9 = 0.9 | SO/W = 4.7
w/Boston: 3.08 ERA | FIP 2.58 | H/9 = 6.8 | HR/9 = 1.0 | SO/W = 6.7
Sale, overall, has been better as a Sox than as a umm..Whiter-.Sox?
Well..that’s 5 minutes of my life I won’t get back. Toodles…..
Ridiculous. Pitching in Chicago had zero pressure. Many thought however with his build and delivery motion, he was an injury waiting to happen. Sadly those have been proven right. Let those who are greedy and look for every last dollar remind themselves how fortunate Sale is to have signed that extension just months ago. He’s done for at least 2019. Hopefully that’s it.
Also, Sale missed significant time while pitching with the Red Sox so those numbers have a fallacy behind him being a great pitcher. Historically Sale starts well with good numbers then starts to decline at the end of July to early August. Why? Sale loves throwing his slider to rake up them strikeouts and it has been a lot of pressure on his elbow. The Red Sox are going to regret giving him that extension.
So glad all that extra rest, making only two appearances in spring training, holding him back innings-wise and velocity-wise during the first month of the regular season, kept him “fresh and dominant” during the end of the regular season as they said it would.
The Red Sox master plan for spring training and the first half of the regular season has worked out brilliantly this year, hasn’t it?
Would you rather have prospects or a championship flag?
Can’t say this was a surprise. Been waiting for something like that.
Ya? For how long? You’ve been waiting for 10 years?
It all goes back to last year’s All Star Game when he hit 100.7 MPH, the hardest he had thrown since 2010 when he was a reliever. The health issues began immediately after that All Star Game.
Here’s the thing, hard throwing strikeout guys like Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens derived much of their velocity from their thick torso and thighs. They are built like horses. Sale on the other hand is rail thin (hence the nickname Stickman) and therefore was always more prone to injury. There’s very few guys in the history of the game who were that thin and threw that hard, only Randy Johnson comes to mind and I don’t think even he was as thin.
Also Randy Johnson credits much of his success to his work with a nutrition and supplement expert. There are many who suspect that he avoided injury because he juiced.
Sale isn’t in an era where people built like him can last long because testing has gotten so much better.
Juicing helped players recover from some injuries, but it did not make them injury proof..
One of the Great dominant pitchers in the game but never loved his violent pitching motion. I always thought he was a major pitching injury waiting to happen.
Ditto
Well it’s taken nearly 10 years…
Um, everyone has a violent motion. Sure, some look less smooth than others but any of them can go down at any time.
Oh no
I hate how Sale is getting injured lately
On a positive note Mr. Stanley, I do enjoy your tool’s reliability and durability. For the price, you just can’t beat it.
Applause
He did great against the Tribe the other night, but it looked to me like he was favoring something in his release.
Never good when Dr. Andrews is involved. Hoping for the best though
It’s like scary horror music when you see Andrews is involved.
Usually that’s the case but teams also will use him to confirm a minor diagnosis as well.
Good for Andrew’s bottom line
Like he needs it at this stage of his life and medical career.
It’s over huh…I’m thinking it’s those dreaded words……….
Thanks to MLB for the fake baseball. It’s all about hitting home runs. Pathetic.
You hate to see it. Sale is so good.
In Chicago, Coop and the staff babied his arm and were extremely cautious with him. In Boston, they overworked him and let him throw as hard as he wanted, chasing strikeouts. What else could they expect?
He pitched over 1,000 innings in five years with Chicago. That’s hardly being cautious. It’s his job.
No facts back that up.
@Prunella Vulgaris
Sale throw 226 IP in his last year in Chicago. Since then he’s thrown 214 IP, 158 IP and this year so far, 147 IP. It would seem that it’s just the inevitable result of throwing 1,000 innings plus warm-ups, etc with unorthodox mechanics,
It amazes me that so many high velocity guys like Ryan, Clemens, Seaver, Gibson, etc could throw so hard (mid 90s and up), for so long (4,500 IP innings). In contrast, workhorses like CC will end his career having logged 3,600 + IP. The nearest active player behind him is Verlander currently at 2,900 IP. Those guys mentioned earlier thru at least 900 innings more than CC and at a higher performance level.
You have to question why today’s pitchers seem far less durable.
training has changed. Ryan, Seaver, Clemons were bigger men who pushed from their legs. Seaver’s knee would touch the ground. Today, no one is taught how to pitch, just throw. Because they’re paid so we’ll tiday, they’re babied. it used to be exciting to watch a classic pitching duel. Morris-Smoltz WS beauty would never happen today because at least one of them would likely be out before the 7th inning.
Maybe if JBJ would start smashing his bat into the dugout roof the Sox would start getting some results. You know, because they’re savages.
After he showed signs of this last year I was very surprised Boston signed him like they did. I bet they were happy after winning the series but the way it lingered I’m surprised something did t happen earlier. Shame was wondering how long he could keep up his strike out rate. Nolan Ryan actually pitched through injuries that would of required Tommy John. It makes me wonder how many other pitchers have done that.
The Sale, Price and Eovaldi contracts could produce another WSC or become a combined albatross like Hanley, Panda and Castillo.
Why do people continue to include Rusney in that list? He has no bearing on the Red Sox payroll or luxury tax implications because he hasn’t been on the 40-man roster since 2016.. His salary would count ONLY if he’s called up to the big leagues, because he would then be added to the 40-man roster.. Which is precisely why he hasn’t even sniffed the majors the past few years, not even when rosters are expanded in September.
I know the situation but included Rusney because it’s still big money spent. He should be in the majors somewhere but his contract is preventing it.
That extension they signed him to is going to be a gigantic albatross on the franchise going forward. They should look to move Betts and hope JDM opts out. The Yankees are sol loaded that the Sox will not be able to challenge them for many years. Time to blow it up and start over.
Sorry. I just used the word albatross not reading your post.
Hope they bought contract insurance…..
Doubtful they could get it given his history of late. if it was available, the price must have been obscene. Even if they did, they save $$ but the full salary still counts against the tax.
Well Sox fans you’ll always have 2018. Elbow inflammation and Dr. Andrews in the same sentence is never a good thing.
Dr. Andrews is about the best guy you can get.
Yes he is. It also indicates surgery is in his future. Considering the violence of his pitching mechanics that’s not surprising. It’s a shame another premier pitcher is hurt. I’m not a Sox fan, but I always enjoy watching great pitchers like Sale.
Especially when there are phenomenal surgeons more local. He’s the second opinion meaning they already likely know.
Yeah, when you don’t like the initial diagnosis it’s probably not a good omen.
That was my thought too. You don’t get a second opinion if you like what the first guy had to say. And the fact that the second opinion is from renowned surgeon has to worry you that first dr thought surgery was at least a strong possibility. But I have seen doctors disagree before so it’s always possible…
Not true. A second opinion is also sometimes used to confirm that rest and/or cortisone and then playing will not risk making it worse.
Price you gotta pay
On a related note, what companies sell such insurance?
It would seem to be a bad investment in today’s game.
Maybe they get great seats in return…..
Lloyd’s of London I think. They’re an underwriting pool.
Definitely Lloyds which are syndicates. There could be others too because it’s complicated based on cost and terms. Did he previously have elbow issues? Last year I just remember the hip. Could be split cost with some injuries not insurable, and the price a composite based on specific conditions. Could also allow the underwriter to review his records after the season ends where the team pays more/less based on how he was used. W/C allows for reviews after the policy expired, based on payroll and number of employees. It’s different for an individual but the point is to get any insurance, sometimes you have to get creative as otherwise the cost just won’t be worth it.
The good news is they saved 15% or more by getting their insurance from GEICO…..
The team’s going to Dairy Queen.
If he gets TJS as a result from this I’ll be actually depressed
5 years, $145 MILLION, beginning next season. Ouch for the Red Sox. If this what it looks like, they’ll maybe get 3 and a half years of that.
Never like seeing a guy get injured like this but at least we got Moncada before this happened
Wouldn’t you rather have Devers?
I don’t know a lot about him. Was he possibly getting traded for Sale? My point being at least they got something of value
The Sox refused to give up Devers. At the time they were one and two in the team’s system and although Moncada was a second baseman when signed, both were viewed as MLB 3bmen. Devers is having an MVP type season although he has no shot given Boegarts’ equal year and the team’s collapse. Question I have relates to most players not named Trout. Devers leads the majors in hard contact rate yet how much of that is maturity and how much is because of the ball? My guess is the golf ball hardness has a lot to do with so many of the breakout years in 2019.
I’d rather have Moncada. Moncada is growing into his own. His stats are far from pedestrian. Devers looks great! I’d take him as well! Moncada looks to be a “premier” athlete by every stretch of the imagination though. That’s no dig on Devers. Tome will tell if they’re to be compared.
“Time”. “Time will tell”. My apologies.
I haven’t heard anything about Moncada in Chicago!
Moncada is a premier athlete but the question with Moncada was his hit tool. He is still striking out in over 27% of his at bats.
Devers is not the athlete that Moncada is but his hit tool was never in question. Devers just squares up more balls and he is only striking out in 16% of his at bats. Devers looks like he will be the better hitter overall.
I would rather have Devers but Moncada looks like a great player too.
Devers is still just 21. When MLB goes back to a regular ball will be telling.
He’s 22
Actually 22.
Surprised it took this long. That’s a credit to Sale. The only reason he “fell” to the White Sox was from his unique mechanics/motion/delivery ect… Definitely some of the reasons for his success. Electric stuff. Great competitor.
He has been a bit erratic at times in my opinion though. I wouldn’t say I didn’t think he was an amazing pitcher. I would call him a “stuff” pitcher. There’s times where he’s putting it exactly where the catcher wants it. There’s also the times when he’s not. True, you could say that of any pitcher. Nonetheless, from what I’ve seen from him, is he has always had great “stuff”. He hasn’t really had the greatest control. There hasn’t been a need for him to! Although, if he had impeccable control, he may be one of the greatest ever. He still could be?
Clemens, Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown (prime), amongst others were more sharp despite having “power”. Different arsenals also! Clemens started as a Fastball/Slider guy, became one of the best examples of domination as a Fast/Split guy (though still utilized his breaking balls). Johnson stayed with the Fast/Slider combination to legend status. Brown… well, he was a beast in his prime. Sinker/Slider, with a great 4 seamer to boot! Yet more times than not, they were precise.
I have always been worried about Sale. Glad it happened to the Red Sox, as opposed to nearly anyone else. Just razzing though. I wish injury for no player. Hope he’s alright. Can’t say I think that’s the case though.
Not too long ago I questioned if sale was trying to play through something for the sake of the team and playoff push.
All I heard was scoffing and ridicule.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that with the deficit that opened after that 12 losses in 15 games stretch, building pain, and a pragmatic assessment that it’s time to look to 2020, a conservative play through it (possibly with clubhouse treatment or even un reported injections) that may have come from sale himself underreporting his condition you get what we have here.
They should shut him down for rest of season
This is why I didn’t think the extension was a good idea. He missed parts of both 2017 and 2018 with elbow problems. He’s TJ surgery just waiting to happen.
Of course, I would have extended Porcello last off season when he asked for it. So what do I know?
“No timetable has been set for Sale’s return..”
2021.
It looks Chris Sale will most likely need Tommy John surgery! This is not Sale’s first issue with his pitching elbow. Sale is a hard throwing pitcher and that violent delivery is not good for his elbow. Like most people who use to pay attention to Sale in his days in a White Sox uniform we thought it would happen then yet surprised the Red Sox gave him that huge extension.
salet may be the latest waste of money in a series of long term excessive priced retirement contracts … results are awful.. he retired right on the field before our eyes .. Mr henry.. u stink at this .. over priced under talent stinkers
Its to bad about Sale, but I think he’s been hurting all season and hoping to play through it. What is ironic is when Price got put on the IL fans were calling him a wallflower and so when the fact is he has thrown a lot more innings then Sale and lets face it when your fastball is your bread and butter pitch when you reach their ages things happen.
As for money for pitchers next year, people keep talking about money coming off the books (ie panda}. Forget it. That money is long spent. Sale’s new deal kicks in next season with a really big pay raise, Bogaerts new deal kicks in as well with a big pay raise. Mookie and Bradely go to arbitration and they will want more.
Mookie will be in his final year he’s looking at what Trout, Harper and Machado got and he wants to be in on that and I’ll bet Bradley is of the same mind.
Boston has deep pockets but they are already huritng because of being over the luxury tax limit and every year they are it gets a little worse. Not money but lose to draft position and draft picks.