Chris Sale Injury: Red Sox Lefty Heads to IL With Shoulder Inflammation

Boston Red Sox lefty Chris Sale landed on the 15-day IL on Friday with left shoulder inflammation that caused him to exit Thursday’s start in the fourth inning.

With Sale landing on the IL once again during his Red Sox tenure, the key will be what is causing the inflammation.

Pitching in his 11th game, his most since 2019, Sale’s velocity dropped noticeably in the fourth inning and he was pulled on the second visit by manager Alex Cora.

“I cannot be irresponsible,” Cora said after Thursday’s game. “We’ve been through this lane for a while. We know each other. Obviously, it’s not easy because of what he has gone through, but at the end of the day, I have to take care of him. I know he tried to take care of us, but it doesn’t work that way from my end. At the end, it’s Chris Sale of the Red Sox. He wanted to finish it, but nah. He gave it a shot, but after that you can’t be irresponsible.”

Cora’s comments suggest the team will take a long-term approach in reevaluating him for return, which is likely the right call given his history.

Sale also landed on the IL with shoulder inflammation in 2018. He returned from that stint in two weeks, but went on the IL again after making just one start. 

The 34-year-old made just two starts last season while missing time with a rib stress fracture, a finger injury and a broken right wrist from a fall on a bicycle.

This season, he’s 5-2 with a 4.58 ERA in 11 starts with 71 strikeouts.

His first three seasons with Boston went without a hitch, but Sale has made just 22 starts since undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2020.

He told reporters Friday that he didn’t expect to need surgery.

Boston Red Sox World Series Odds

The Red Sox (29-27) are +6500 to win the World Series, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Currently 10 games back in the AL East, Boston is +4000 to win the division while the Rays are -250.

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