Is Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale out for the rest of the season?
Boston Red Sox ace pitcher Chris Sale broke a finger during their game with the New York Yankees after a line drive off the bat ricocheted on to his hand.
The Boston Red Sox lost to the New York Yankees 13-2 on Sunday, but the bigger loss to the team is that of their pitcher Chris Sale, who will be missing action after he broke a finger in the bottom of the first.
Sale sustained the injury after a line drive by Aaron Hicks went straight to his pitching hand, causing him to yell in pain and quickly leave the field holding up a visibly disfigured pinkie. The Red Sox later confirmed that he had fractured his left fifth finger which had absorbed the impact of Hicks’ 106.7 mph liner.
No definite timeline yet for Chris Sale’s return
The team will likely be missing his services for quite a while as recovery time for broken fingers is usually pegged at four to six weeks. The 33-year-old is set to consult a hand specialist to examine the injury and determine a more concrete timetable for his return to action.
Sale has recently been plagued by injuries- he had just returned to play for Boston, and was making only his second start of the season. He was recovering from a stress fracture on his ribcage that he suffered in spring while he was working out on his own during the MLB lockout.
He had also missed the whole 2020 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, a procedure used to repair a torn ligament inside the elbow by replacing it with a tendon from another part of the body.
The seven-time All-Star is signed through 2024 on a five-year, $145 million contract extension with Boston.