Boston Red Sox' Chris Sale Takes Selfless Approach Ahead of Return From Injury

Boston Red Sox ace lefty Chris Sale is ready to do whatever the team asks him when he returns from injury.

Earlier this week, we heard that Boston Red Sox ace lefty Chris Sale may just require one rehab assignment before joining the big league team.

For a player who has been on the 60-day injured list, that seems fast, but the Red Sox are desperate for pitching and have been operating with a three-man rotation and a crew of openers for weeks now.

They've said they may just bring Sale along and work up his pitch count at the big league level instead of a traditional minor league program.

For his part, Sale says he's ready to do whatever it takes to help the team for the stretch run.

Katie Morrison-O'Day, who covers the Red Sox Triple-A team, had this on Twitter:

Chris Sale is ready to do whatever the Red Sox need from him when he comes back. "If they want be to be an opener for two innings, I'm in. If they want me to stretch to six innings, deal. If they want me to come out of the bullpen, I'm in."

Chris Sale is ready to do whatever the Red Sox need from him when he comes back.
"If they want be to be an opener for two innings, I'm in. If they want me to stretch to six innings, deal. If they want me to come out of the bullpen, I'm in."

— Katie Morrison-O'Day (@KatieMo61) July 27, 2023

It sure sounds like Sale just wants to be out there competing with his team as they battle for the playoffs. The Sox are 1.5 games back of the final wild card spot heading into play on Saturday.

Injuries have been an unfortunate part of Sale's career in Boston, and this year is just the latest in a series of frustrations. He was injured at the end of 2019 and then missed all of 2020 with Tommy John surgery. He missed most of 2021 rehabbing and then made only two starts in 2022. He's made just 11 starts this year as well, but has pitched well.

He's 5-2 with a 4.58 ERA.

The Red Sox play the Giants on Saturday night. First pitch is 7:15 p.m. ET.

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