The Boston Red Sox announced some crushing news on Thursday evening. Ace left handed pitcher Chris Sale will miss the entire 2020 season and likely part of the 2021 season as well so that he can undergo Tommy John surgery.
Sale has been in limbo over the last several weeks after experiencing discomfort in his left elbow that forced him to miss the last six weeks of the season in 2019. On March 5, Sale and the Red Sox announced that he had a strained flexor tendon. The hope was a period of no throwing and some anti-inflammatories would allow the big lefty to ramp back up, but after initially starting a throwing program the elbow did not react the way he had hoped.
The MLB season was supposed to begin next week on March 26, but is now delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Boston rotation now has Eduardo Rodriguez, Nathan Eovaldi, and Martin Perez with now empty slots at the number four and five. The loss of Sale is a tough one for the Red Sox, as he is set to begin a five year, 145 million dollar contract this season that he signed a year ago.
