Can the Boston Red Sox count on Chris Sale in 2023?

Entering the 2023 season, there are a lot of questions surrounding the Boston Red Sox. Gone are Xander Bogearts and J.D. Martinez, while Kenley Jansen, Adam Duvall, Justin Turner, and the highly-touted Masataka Yoshida join the roster. Can the Red Sox rebound from their disastrous 2022 season? If they are, then Chris Sale will have to have a bounce-back season, but can the Red Sox actually count on Sale?

Since coming to Boston in 2017, Sale has not been the pitcher that they hoped they were getting. Yes, he played a big part in the 2018 World Series championship but, other than that, his Red Sox career has been a disappointment. In five seasons, he is 40-25 with a 3.09 ERA and has started just 95 games because of injuries. His injury history hit rock bottom last season.

He broke a rib working out for the season during the lockout, then he broke his pinkie finger against the New York Yankees on July 17 when an Aaron Hicks line drive ricocheted off of his left hand. While he was working his back from that injury, his season officially ended when he fell off a bike on a Boston city street and fractured his wrist, which required surgery and he finished with a mere 5.2 innings pitched all season long.

Boston Red Sox need a healthy Chris Sale in 2023 to help lead the rotation

Fast forward to spring training and the 33-year-old lanky southpaw is healthy and ready to go, but just how much can Alex Cora and the Red Sox count on him? His four appearances in spring training are a good sign for Boston, despite it being just a 15-inning audition. He struck out 12 with a 1.33 WHIP. It’s spring training and he was not throwing all 15 innings against MLB hitters, but the Red Sox will take any positives they can get with Sale. The first positive is he did not suffer an injury in Fort Myers before Opening Day.

Before the first series of the season is over, the odds are stacked against the Red Sox in the American League East alone. The New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays are the top two teams with the Tampa Bay Rays ahead of Boston and the Baltimore Orioles in the preseason projections. Every team has high hopes before the first game of 162 is played and that is always the case in Boston where Red Sox fans always have hope. Their hope in 2023 will have a lot to do with the health of Chris Sale and his left arm. His first start is scheduled for game two of the season against the Orioles at Fenway Park on Saturday.

There is no doubt that a healthy Sale is a good thing and taking the ball every fifth day gives Cora and the Red Sox hope. Never underestimate a former All-Star pitcher who still has something to prove, but Sale’s injury history is something that will have everyone holding their breath and is a big reason why having him stay healthy is not something that Boston can count on.