The Red Sox received some good news and bad news on Monday
The good news? Their ace Chris Sale won't need Tommy John surgery after getting his injured elbow checked out by Dr. James Andrews. The bad? Elbow inflammation likely will keep Sale off the mound for the rest of 2019. Before Tuesday's game against the Phillies, manager Alex Cora said a return this season this year will be "almost impossible".
Despite that caveat, Sale remains optimistic about how his meeting with Dr. Andrews went. The left-hander gave an encouraging answer when asked about his confidence in a healthy return in 2020.
"I'm very confident," Sale told reporters on Tuesday. "I know who I am and what I can do on the baseball field when I have all my tools, and I know what we have in this training room. Our doctors, our trainers, our staff, the support from my teammates, my family, my friends. I have no doubts in my mind."
Sale will take it easy for a few days before starting shoulder and forearm strengthening programs, then he hopes to begin throwing again after being re-evaluated in approximately six weeks.
The injury caps off what has been an all-around rough season for Sale. The 30-year-old ends his 2019 campaign with a career-worst 6-11 record and 4.40 ERA.
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