Red Sox’s Chris Sale Will Miss Rest of 2022 Season Following Bike Accident
You’re not going to believe this story but we assure you it’s true.
The Boston Red Sox will be without left-hander Chris Sale for the remainder of the season after he broke his right wrist in a bike accident. Sale underwent surgery Monday, ending his 2022 campaign.
It’s the same old story for Red Sox fans, unfortunately. Their ace pitcher has been bitten by the injury bug once again, landing him on the 60-day injured list.
Sale was already recovering from a broken pinky, which he sustained after being hit by a comebacker in his last start on July 17, at the time of his bike accident. The 33-year-old also spent time on the IL due to a fractured rib cage earlier this season.
Perhaps someone should’ve advised Sale to go for a walk instead of a bike ride. Though it seems injuries appear to follow the lefty regardless of what activity he partakes in.
Staying healthy has been the veteran’s biggest weakness over the last few seasons, dating back to the shortened 2020 campaign. Since then, he’s logged just 48.1 innings across 11 starts with the Red Sox.
Sale’s absence has left a major void in Boston’s starting rotation and will continue to do so throughout the rest of this season. Without him, the team will roll with Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta, Rich Hill, Josh Winckowski and Kutter Crawford. Fellow starters Michael Wacha and Brayan Bello are expected to factor in, as well, once they return from the IL themselves.
When healthy, Sale was previously considered one of the top pitchers in baseball. The seven-time All-Star posted a 3.08 ERA, 2.57 FIP, 36.7 percent strikeout rate, 5.5 percent walk rate and a 17.4 fWAR rating through his first three seasons with the Red Sox.
After spending his first seven major-league campaigns with the Chicago White Sox, Boston acquired Sale in December 2016 for a package of Victor Diaz, Luis Alexander Basabe, Michael Kopech and Yoan Moncada.
The 6’6” lefty helped the Red Sox capture the 2018 World Series, making three starts and two relief appearances, recording a 4.11 ERA across 15.1 innings. He registered the final three outs of the World-Series-clinching Game 5 in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium.
Prior to the 2019 season, Sale signed a five-year, $145-million contract extension, which runs through 2024. His deal includes a full no-trade clause and a $20 million vesting option for ‘25 if he’s healthy and finishes inside the top 10 in Cy Young voting in ‘24.
Based on Sale’s recent injury history, his chances of fulfilling those obligations during the 2024 season aren’t looking very promising. Of course, lots can change between now and then.
This is another disappointing setback for the Red Sox, who’ll likely miss the playoffs for the first time since 2020. After trading catcher Christian Vázquez at last week’s deadline, the franchise has its sights set on 2023.
For Sale, sadly, his season ends the same way he started it: on the IL.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.