Chris Sale undergoes finger surgery after getting hit by line drive
On Monday, Chris Sale began yet another injury recovery process. The 33-year-old lefty underwent surgery on the pinky on his throwing hand, which was broken after getting hit by a line drive during Sunday’s Red Sox loss to the New York Yankees.
According to the Red Sox, Sale “underwent an open reduction and internal fixation of a left fifth finger proximal phalanx fracture” on Monday. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported that the team is not ruling out a return for Sale in 2022, although Sale is expected to miss at least a month.
This continues a string of injury issues for Sale. He was held out of the end of the 2019 season, then underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2020. Sale’s recovery and further complications held him out until August of the 2021 season. He then suffered a rib injury while getting ready for spring training this past March, which had held him out until last week.
Sale had shown promise in his first start too, throwing five scoreless innings against the Tampa Bay Rays last Tuesday. The start against the Yankees was his second of the season.
In total, Sale has appeared in just nine games, throwing 57.1 innings since the end of the 2019 season. He’s been effective when he has pitched, going 5-3 with a 3.92 ERA in those games.
The Red Sox have yet to set their rotation for after the All-Star break outside of Nathan Eovaldi getting the start on Friday, which is the first game back. Michael Wacha and Rich Hill are expected back from the IL shortly after the break, with both reportedly making progress in their rehabs.
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Chris Sale leaves start early after being hit by line drive
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 17: Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox leaves the field with a dislocated pinky finger after getting hit by a line drive from Aaron Hicks of the New York Yankees in the first inning at Yankee Stadium on July 17, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
After throwing five scoreless innings against the Rays in his 2022 MLB debut on Tuesday, Chris Sale took the mound Sunday against the Yankees for his second start of the year. However, the outing wouldn’t last long as Sale left the game in the first inning after taking a line drive off his hand.
Sale was already 23 pitches into the first inning when facing Aaron Hicks with a 1-1 count with one runner on, two outs, and two runs already in. Hicks hit a line drive back up the middle that measured a 107 MPH exit velocity off his bat according to the Yankees’ broadcast. That ball hit Sale’s throwing hand before bouncing into shallow right field.
(Warning, there is a close-up of Sale’s seemingly dislocated finger at the end of this clip)
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