Sale being considered as bullpen option
Should be heading on a rehab assignment soon
With a starting rotation that’s been durable, consistent and at times overpowering this year, the Red Sox could go a different way with their former ace when he returns.
How about Chris Sale, the reliever? Pitching coach Dave Bush told The Athletic this week that the Sox were considering bringing Sale back out of the bullpen when Sale is finally ready to throw big league innings again.
He’s still at least a few weeks away from that point, but once the Sox take a look at him on his rehab assignment they’ll be able to make a decision, Bush said.
“I think everything is on the table at this point,” he said. “If it suits him and us for him to come back sooner and in fewer innings and we have a bullpen that’s capable of absorbing the extra innings, then maybe that’s an option.”
In some ways it’s surprising, in some ways not.
Baseball appreciates multi-inning relievers now more than perhaps ever before, and the Sox’ bullpen could use the lift.
But it’s surprising that Sale is currently on a Hall of Fame track as a starting pitcher, and while he hasn’t looked totally himself for the better part of the last four years, taking him out of a starter’s routine is asking a lot
he Red Sox tried this with Nathan Eovaldi in 2019 and regretted it almost immediately. Manager Alex Cora to this day remains apologetic for his decision to put Eovaldi in the ’pen so he could make a quicker return from an April 2019 surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow.
Eovaldi returned in late July as a one-inning reliever and had a difficult time getting into a rhythm. He pitched 11 times out of relief with a 5.40 ERA and a .304 batting average against before the Sox put him back in the rotation.
Sale has been out all season after fracturing a rib while throwing at Florida Gulf Coast University during the lockout. His return was delayed by a non- disclosed issue that the Sox said was not COVID-19- or baseball-related.
He was scheduled to throw a bullpen session Friday and could be sent on a rehab assignment soon.
Sale was given five rehab starts
while recovering from Tommy John surgery last year, though he said after the fourth one that he just as well could have thrown those innings in the big leagues.
Either way, the Sox should be in no hurry to get Sale back before July 1, when they’ll have just completed a three-game series in Toronto. Sale will not be able to play in Toronto if he remains unvaccinated by then.
Trade deadline flip flop
There has been a ripple effect of the Sox’ 20- 9 stretch over the last month.
They entered Friday 3028 and in the third wild card position with about 2/3 of the season remaining, which means it’s highly unlikely they’ll be sellers at the Aug. 2 trade deadline this year.
It’s a bummer for baseball fans who like to see action at the deadline, given the Sox have some of the highest-profile trade candidates on the market in Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez, Nathan Eovaldi, Kiké Hernandez and Christian Vazquez, among others, all eligible for free agency after the season.
The New York Post reported Friday that A’s starter Frankie Montas, Royals outfielder Andrew Benintendi and Orioles outfielder Trey Mancini are the likeliest players to be moved from the American League, although a lot could change before then.
With six teams making the postseason, it makes little sense for any team with a chance to sell.
The only teams that were more than 3 ½ games back of playoff position on Friday were the Tigers, Royals, Orioles and A’s, all teams that had no plans on contending this year.
Duran still in AAA
At some point one would think the Red Sox will give speedy outfield prospect Jarren Duran an extended look at every day playing time in the big leagues and see if he can learn to make adjustments.
So far, it hasn’t happened. Duran’s last stint in the bigs ended after three days when Jackie Bradley Jr. returned from paternity leave, then the Sox passed on Duran and instead called up utility man Jonathan Arauz this week when Kiké Hernandez went on the injured list with a hip strain.
Cora told reporters on the West Coast that Duran was passed over because the Sox wanted an additional infielder while their regulars got some routine days off. They were also due to face a lot of lefties and the left-handed hitting Duran has been much better against right-handers.
The Sox have been perfectly content with their play in right field, where Bradley plays defense like a Gold Glover and his 14 doubles are tied for 19thbest in MLB, though his 76 Ops-plus would be his worst with the Red Sox since 2014.
Duran is batting .309 with an .897 OPS in Triple-a.