Sox being patient with Chris Sale’s return to majors.
BOSTON — Fans have begin asking why it has taken so long for Chris Sale to return to the Red Sox.
The answer is it really hasn’t. It only seems that way.
Sale last pitched for the Sox on Aug. 13, 2019, so his expected return will come after a two-year absence give or take a few days. But his Tommy John surgery was March 30, 2020. Boston tried a period of rest and rehabilitation with Sale’s elbow after the 2019 season that didn’t work.
A return from Tommy John after 16 months is within the usual range.
Johnny Cueto came back to the Giants in 13 months, but Jordan Montgomery needed 15 months before rejoining the Yankees.
Sale, Tyler Beede, Luis Severino and Noah Syndergaard had their surgeries between Feb. 27 and March 30, 2020. Only Beede has pitched in the majors since, and that was for one inning on July 10 before he was optioned.
Sale (COVID-19, neck spasms), Severino (groin strain), and Syndergaard (elbow inflammation) all had setbacks. If Severino and Syndergaard return this season, it will likely be as relievers.
It’s also worth noting that Sale is 32 and in 2018 spent time on the injured list with a shoulder injury. The Sox had ample reason to be careful with how they brought him back.
The team scheduled what amounts to a normal spring training build-up for Sale: five starts and about 20-22 innings. That’s what he did in 2017 and ’18. He pitched Saturday in Worcester in what won’t be his last appearance in the minors this year.
“He won’t be with us after that one,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora on Monday. “He’ll pitch Saturday, and we’ll go from there.”
Sale didn’t go through the same preparation in 2019 and had a 4.40 ERA before finishing the year on the injured list.
Ultimately, he’s not late. He may just be right on time.