*Photo from the Boston Herald*
Boston Red Sox LHP Chris Sale will undergo the dreaded Tommy John Surgery, according to the Red Sox. Sale will be out for the entire 2020 season, however long that ends up being, and a chunk of 2021. Sale had an MRI on his elbow in early March due to soreness while throwing, and after 3 opinions, the Red Sox and Sale were optimistic that Sale did not need surgery. He was diagnosed with a strained flexor tendon and was only shut down for two weeks. But after starting a throwing program, Sale's elbow didn't respond how he wanted it to, and it was decided that he would have surgery.
Based off of previous timetables of starting pitchers who have had Tommy John, the best case scenario for Sale would be for him to be back in game action by the summer of 2021. The MLB season has been put on hold due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, so it remains to be seen just how many games Sale will in fact miss. Whenever the season starts, the Red Sox will have Eduardo Rodriguez, Nathan Eovaldi, and Martin Perez at the top 3 spots in the rotation, with uncertainty at the last two spots. Ryan Weber appears to be a favorite for a rotation spot, as he had a very solid spring before games were shut down, and the Red Sox recently signed RHP Colin McHugh, but he is also coming off an injury and hasn't started throwing yet.
The Red Sox acquired Sale in a trade in December of 2016 with the Chicago White Sox that sent top prospects Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech to Chicago. The first two seasons, the trade had worked out perfectly for the Red Sox. Sale went 17-8 with a 2.90 ERA in 2017, and 12-4 with a 2.11 ERA in 2018, leading the Red Sox to a world series title, even clinching it for Boston by striking out Manny Machado to end game 5. But, since that time, it hasn't been smooth sailing. Sale had a rough 2019, going 6-11 with a 4.40 ERA in 25 starts before being shut down with arm issues, marking the beginning of the trail. This season is also the first of a 5 year, $145 million extension the Red Sox gave Sale before 2019, and he won't have thrown a pitch in that flashy deal until at least a year and a half into it.
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