Boston Red Sox: Chris Sale to take next step in return

Although the Boston Red Sox currently find themselves in a Wild Card berth, there is no question that they need reinforcements. The rotation has not been what they had hoped for, especially lately. Eduardo Rodriguez has not been the ace they need, and while Nathan Eovaldi has been solid, the rest of the rotation has been inconsistent at best.

However, reinforcements will eventually be coming. Chris Sale has moved beyond throwing bullpen sessions and will be facing live batters for the first time since Tommy John surgery on Saturday.

Chris Sale moving ever closer to return to Boston Red Sox

Although this is a step in the right direction, Sale will not be back in the rotation any time soon. He will need to build up to a starter’s workload, and still needs to head out for his rehab starts. Should Saturday’s session go well, the best case scenario may be that he returns around the trade deadline.

If that happens, Sale could be the biggest impact arm of the deadline. It would not be fair to expect that he would immediately return to the form he showed from 2012 through 2018 when he was one of the best pitchers in the majors, posting a 2.91 ERA and a 1.093 WHiP over his 1388 innings, striking out 1678 batters with 300 walks. It just takes time for pitchers to feel comfortable after that procedure.

However, it is likely that he will be better than he was in 2019. Sale clearly was not right all season, with decreased velocity and less movement on his pitches. He struggled to a 6-11 record with a 4.40 ERA in his 147.1 innings before being sidelined. The strikeouts were still there, as he struck out 218 batters and posted a 1.086 WHiP, but he was not the ace that Boston needed.

He may not be that pitcher immediately upon activation either. Nonetheless, it is highly probable that he will be much better than the arms that the Red Sox have in the back of their rotation, especially as he continues to round himself back into form.

Chris Sale is taking the next step in his rehab journey. The Boston Red Sox ace is still some time away, but is slowly getting closer.