Why was Chris Sale pulled from his start?

Chicago White Sox ace was pulled from his start on Saturday night against the Detroit Tigers, but why?

The rumors around Chris Sale being scratched from a start against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night began with this tweet from Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith:

The curiosity around Sale being pulled was mostly due to the fact that Sale had been linked to several trade rumors and could find himself in a new uniforms after the August 1 deadline.

Then, this hit the Twitterverse:

OK, so Sale has the flu and is too sick to pitch? That’s understandable.

But then, the official White Sox account sent everyone into a frenzy with this official statement about Sale’s situation?

Sale was scratched and sent home due to a non-physical clubhouse incident? What in the world is going on in Chicago before first pitch on Saturday night?

Matt Albers was officially announced as Sale’s replacement to start for the White Sox against the Tigers, but the news of the night is Sale being sent home for some apparent incident.

What could that “non-physical clubhouse incident” be? The first thought would be that Sale was told he was likely going to be traded and the left-hander wasn’t happy about that. He’s spent his entire MLB career with the White Sox and may not be a big fan in putting on another uniform.

Another thought could just be Sale’s frustrations with all of the trade rumors as of late and the White Sox sliding further and further away from contention in the American League and he just snapped on someone (or multiple someones).

Regardless, Sale’s days in Chicago could be numbered and this incident might be the final nail in the coffin for Sale pitching for the White Sox.

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