Chris Sale has been missing from action due to a fractured ribcage for just over two months now. Ever since then, the Atlanta Braves have been pretty deliberate about making sure that Sale takes his time coming back from the injury. As such, Sale has made three rehab starts over the past couple of weeks — his most recent start taking place on Saturday night when he went nearly five innings with just four hits and one run allowed in what is looking like his final rehab start of his IL stint.
That’s
because it appears that it’s time for him to finally make his return to the big league squad. Brian Snitker spoke with the media following today’s win over the New York Meats and confirmed that not only will Sale be returning from the IL soon, he’ll be back by the weekend in order to take on the Philadelphia Phillies.
Sale’s rehab stint will finish with 10.2 IP, 10 hits allowed, three walks allowed, three earned runs and 11 strikeouts. He basically improved on a start-to-start basis, which is what you want to see. He also showed no type of struggle or lingering effects from the injury, which is especially what you want to see.
As Mark Bowman mentioned in his tweet, the Braves could have Cal Quantrill and Bryce Elder pitch the first two games in order to ensure that Sale continues to get his normal amount of rest between starts. With that being said, the Braves would still be thrilled to get Sale back at any point — Sale is still the team leader in fWAR for Braves pitchers at 2.6 for the season, as he has recorded an ERA of 2.52 and a FIP of 2.69 over 89.1 innings pitched so far this season. Hopefully Sale can punctuate a successful recovery with a strong finish to the season.
