Another day, another injury for Chris Sale. The Boston Red Sox pitcher has now been lost for the season after he fractured his wrist while riding his bicycle, hitting something while going downhill and losing his balance.
This is also the latest in the long line of injuries that Sale has suffered over the past few years. In fact, he has spent far more time on the Injured List than on the Red Sox active roster, making just 11 appearances in the past three years.
Chris Sale extension not working out for Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox had to sign Chris Sale to an extension. He had been a key part of their 2018 World Series winning team and the memory of the Red Sox inability to extend Jon Lester remained at the forefront of the minds of the fanbase. Losing Sale, who was scheduled to become a free agent after the 2019 season, would have been a disaster on the public relations front.
Instead, that contract has become an albatross. Sale was not right from the beginning after the ink dried, eventually needing Tommy John surgery. A myriad of other issues have kept him sidelined over the past three years as the Red Sox ace has not been able to live up to that billing.
He has been solid enough when he has been on the mound. Sale has allowed 22 runs, 17 earned, on 50 hits and 13 walks over his 48.1 innings, striking out 57 batters. He may not have been the ace that they expected, but considering he has just those 48.1 innings over three years, he has not had the opportunity to be either.
It is possible that Sale can turn everything around. He still has two more years left on his current extension and could return to form next year. But that would require he remains healthy, something that has not been the case over the past few years. Chances are, this extension will continue to prove to be a mistake.
The Boston Red did what they had to in extending Chris Sale. That extension just has not turned out the way either party had hoped.