All season long, it's felt like every step forward for the Atlanta Braves was met with two steps back. So of course, just days after a stirring sweep of the New York Mets that felt like it could be the launching pad for a playoff push, the team lost Chris Sale to the 15-day IL with what's being called a fractured left rib cage.
Atlanta made the announcement on Saturday afternoon, three days after Sale went 8.2 shutout innings in a 5-0 win over New York. But that performance came at a cost: Sale suffered the injury while diving to field a Juan Soto ground ball in the ninth inning, and now it's unclear when he might be able to return to the Braves rotation.
Chris Sale has a fractured left rib cage and was placed on the 15-day injured list, an obvious big blow to the #Braves' chances of reeling in teams ahead in NL East and wild-card standings if it keeps him out any significant stretch.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) June 21, 2025
They recalled LHP Austin Cox.
That rotation is also without Reynaldo Lopez indefinitely due to a shoulder ailment and AJ Smith-Shawver for the remainder of the season (and then some) after Tommy John surgery. Pitching depth had already been stretched to its breaking point; now, with its ace on the shelf, Atlanta will be relying on Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder and likely top prospect Didier Fuentes to keep it within shouting distance of a playoff spot until Sale returns.
Maybe those three will answer the challenge. Maybe a still star-studded offense will finally get out of second gear and carry the freight. But the Braves were struggling to make up ground even with Sale healthy. Without him, their odds figure to get worse rather than better — and that could put GM Alex Anthopoulos in an impossible position come the trade deadline.
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Chris Sale injury could force Braves into uncomfortable decisions at the trade deadline
Atlanta's plan for the deadline was already up in the air. By all accounts, this team should be buyers, both because of the talent on this roster and because of an almost complete lack of movable pieces — outside of DH Marcell Ozuna, most of Atlanta's regulars are either locked up on long-term deals, slumping through tough seasons that have torpedoed their value or both. And yet, the standings don't lie, and the standings say that the Braves enter play Saturday 11 games back of first in the NL East and six games back of the third and final NL Wild Card spot.
Now Sale is out of the picture for at least a couple of weeks and likely longer. Anthopoulos has already pledged to buy rather than sell at the deadline, and while you can understand why, it's also fair to wonder whether this latest bit of bad luck might change his position a bit. Losing Sale more than likely delays any postseason push until July at the earliest; with just weeks until the July 31 deadline, will Anthopoulos be willing to bet on a rally over the final two months and abandon his best chance to supplement this core for the future?
And what about Sale himself? Atlanta has shot down even the hint of a suggestion that they'd consider trading the lefty, who has a team option for the 2026 season and has been as good as ever for most of this season. But if the Braves decide to pull the plug on 2025, he'd be one of precious few pieces they could move to recoup real value as they look to build around Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, Ronald Acuña Jr. and the gang moving forward.
Atlanta was already caught between its present and future even with Sale healthy and dominating. Now, there's no telling what Anthopoulos might do.