Boston Red Sox: Chris Sale suffers injury set back; can his career be revitalized?
The Boston Red Sox suffered another blow in their dismal start to the 2022 campaign when it was announced that Chris Sale has suffered a non-medical setback in his injury recovery and will remain on the 60 day IL a little bit longer than previously expected.
Sale has been a non-factor for the Red Sox since they signed him to a 5 year extension following the 2018 World Series. He was bad in 2019 with a 4.40 ERA over only 147.1 innings. He missed 2020 while recovering from Tommy John surgery and returned for 42.2 innings in 2021 where his 3.16 ERA was better, but his 10.91 K/9 was down from what we’ve come to expect from him.
Chris Sale can certainly be an impact arm for the Boston Red Sox, but where is he best suited upon his return?
Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox bullpen is a nightmare. They are leading the Majors by a large margin with 9 blown saves; for those keeping count at home, that is one less blown save than they have wins. They could nearly double their win total and be a competitive ball club with a competent closer- something the Sox have lacked since Craig Kimbrel left in free agency following 2018.
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I recall a story about a pitcher in the 1980’s on the verge of irrelevance, Dennis Eckersley.
Eck had been a pretty good starter for the first decade of his career. He was the 1975 Rookie Pitcher of the Year, he threw a no hitter, and he was a 20 game winner before a battle with alcoholism derailed his career.
Then after a stint in rehab, a trade to Oakland, and a move to a closing role, Eckersley revitalized his career as one of the best closers of all time. As a closer, he added a World Series ring, AL MVP, AL Cy Young, and was a first ballot Hall of Famer.
Could this be a viable path for Chris Sale? He is fragile but he has shown he can still be dominant for a short period of time. He can miss bats still. He can be an impactful member of this team without being expected to throw even 100 innings.
Sale hasn’t had starter production in a long long time, often being shut down late in the season anyways. Why not limit his innings in the most impactful way possible to this team and fill in a much needed gap?
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When Sale is healthy, I would love to see him as a closer, James Paxton in the rotation, and Garrett Whitlock returning to his long relief role. The bats will wake up, and the bullpen can hold a lead, this is a team that can be a Cinderella wild card story. It’s a long season folks, let’s hope it’s a fun one.