Braves’ Chris Sale Likely to Return From IL This Saturday
If all goes well in the coming days, left-hander Chris Sale will rejoin the Atlanta Braves’ starting rotation in Philadelphia this weekend.
While the Braves – who enter Monday’s slate 10 games back of the final NL wild-card seed with only 32 games remaining – have nothing to play for this late into the 2025 season, they’ll happily welcome back Sale, considering he’s missed the last two months with a left rib fracture.
The Braves haven’t officially confirmed Sale’s pending return yet. But, as manager Brian Snitker told reporters on Sunday, including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, the nine-time All-Star will likely start Saturday versus the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
It’d be his first major league start since throwing 8.2 scoreless innings against the New York Mets on June 18.
“That’s the hope,” Snitker said following Sale’s final Triple-A rehab start, as relayed by Bowman. “He’s been throwing a lot and feels good. So, that shouldn’t be a problem.”
Following months of recovery, Sale made a trio of rehab starts earlier this month, all with Triple-A Gwinnett, posting a 2.53 ERA with 11 strikeouts and three walks across 10.2 innings. He made his final outing last Saturday, building up to 77 pitches over 4.2 frames, allowing one run on four hits without issuing a walk and punching out five.
The 2024 NL Cy Young winner was well on his way to defending his crown before fracturing his rib cage while diving for a ground ball against the Mets in June. In 15 starts, he owns an impressive 2.52 ERA and 2.69 FIP with a 23.8 percent strikeout-to-walk rate difference (K-BB%).
Sale is one of several Braves pitchers currently on the IL, along with Spencer Schwellenbach, Reynaldo López, Grant Holmes and AJ Smith-Shawver. It’s been a disappointing, injury-plagued season for the organization, whose playoff streak won’t continue for the first time since 2017.
Since Sale is on the 60-day IL, Atlanta must create a spot on the 40-man roster before he officially rejoins the club. Once that happens, he’ll join a rotation that includes Spencer Strider and Hurston Waldrep, rounded out by the likes of Joey Wentz, Bryce Elder (two minor-league options remaining) and Cal Quantrill.
The primary focus of these final weeks will be preparing Sale for a regular off-season, with an eye towards 2026 – whether that’s still with the Braves or another organization.
The 36-year-old is in the final season of a two-year, $38-million contract, which includes an $18 million club option for next season. That’d make him an intriguing trade target if Atlanta’s front office were open to fielding offers on the veteran starter.
Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos was reluctant to trade Sale ahead of last month’s trade deadline, insisting he remained part of the franchise’s plans moving forward – a stance he’s unlikely to change this off-season. Still, there might be a team out there willing to submit an offer he can’t refuse for the future Hall-of-Fame hurler.
For now, though, Sale will look to stay healthy and finish strong down the stretch over the final month-plus of the regular season with Atlanta.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Thomson200. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.