A preseason rib injury kept Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale out of the beginning of the 2022 season. The ace pitcher updated media on his injury Tuesday.
“Physically, mentally, everything, I feel like I’m ready to start this process and get going, and get back here quick,” Sale told reporters on Tuesday (via CBS Boston.
When asked about the pitching role he will initially come back in – whether it be starter or bullpen – Sale made it clear he just wants to pitch.
“Nothing really matters other than getting back out there,” Sale said, via Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. “I have experience [starting and relieving] and at the end of the day, whatever it is, it is. For me, pitching is pitching … Hand me the ball, I’ll throw it until you take it. That’s where I’m at.”
Sale pitched to live hitters for the first time this season earlier this week, where Speier noted that he was hitting 96 mph. The rehab process of getting Sale back to the majors is unclear.
“I feel good enough to [start a minor league assignment] next week” Sale said. “Physically, mentally, everything, I feel like I’m ready to start this process and get going and get back here quick.”
The Red Sox recently faced two injuries to their starting rotation, with Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Whitlock both on the Injured List. That doesn’t mean Sale will immediately jump into a starting role because of those injuries. What it could serve as is a motivating factor to get Sale’s minor league rehab assignment started sooner rather than later.