Red Sox: Chris Sale out for season after suffering freak injury

Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale cannot catch a break in the injury department. After suffering a bike accident, he’s out for the season.

Per FanSided’s Robert Murray, Sale is out for the year after he fell off his bike on Saturday and broke his wrist.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan added to that report, stating that Sale underwent surgery on Monday for the injury.

It’s been a long road back for the seven-time All-Star, who last pitched more than 100 innings in 2019. Tommy John surgery and more has limited his time in the bigs, and he’s seemingly always preparing for a rehab assignment.

A very brief major-league experience in 2022 (just two outings) was limited to only 5.2 innings and an ERA slightly over three.

What should Red Sox do without Chris Sale?

As unfortunate as Sale’s injury is, the left-handed ace being on the mend is something the Sox are prepared for, as they’ve been dealt this hand many times before.

Boston’s trade deadline plans did not suggest they were a seller, and perhaps Chaim Bloom truly believes this team can contend for a Wild Card spot in the American League. As of this writing, they are only 4.5 games out of the final spot, behind the White Sox, Guardians and Orioles, all of which are chasing the third-place Seattle Mariners.

Shutting down Sale for the season makes sense at this point. A return would be extraordinarily unlikely, even if Boston were in the middle of a pennant chase. Hopefully, he’ll be ready to go for spring training, unlike in years past.