According to Dave Dombrowski, Red Sox ace Chris Sale is fine.
Sale battled shoulder inflamation for the second half of the season last year and clearly was not his dominant self in the postseason.
Dombrowksi didn't elaborate on the status of Sale's shoulder - at the request of Sale.
“He’s not one that likes to share a bunch of information,” Dombrowski said. “That’s just the way it is. But we feel very comfortable where he is and he just wants to kind of keep it between us.”
Sale told reporters this fall he had an infection from a belly button ring after a trip to the hospital during the ALCS for a stomach illness.
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As far as Sale's shoulder, Dombrowski said simply "We have a pulse of it, but we’re really not going to discuss it.”
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Moving forward, Dombrowksi and manager Alex Cora acknowledged that Sale may be handled a little differently next season. “It’s just maybe ways some things are approached with us by him,” Dombrowski said. Cora indicated the team already has a plan in place. “We know what we have," he said, "We know what we’re going to do next year.”
Last season, Sale pitched 129 innings before the All-Star break. He pitched just 29 innings in the second half and totaled just seven appearances. He went more than six innings only twice.
- 1st half: 10-4, 2.23 ERA, 129 IP, 188 K
- 2nd half: 2-0, 1.44 ERA, 29 IP, 49 K
- Postseason: 0-0, 5.40 ERA, 5 IP, 10 K
Sale's velocity was noticeably higher in the first half of last season than it has been throughout the rest of his career. The southpaw's fastball has historically been in the mid 90's, 94-96, topping out around 97 mph. Last season, he was routinely in the upper 90's, even consistantly hitting triple digits at points in the season.
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As the inflammation troubles arose, his velocity dropped dramatically. Check out his velocity by month, according to Brooks Baseball.
- March: 94.32 mph
- April: 93.36 mph
- May: 96.38 mph
- June: 97.67 mph
- July: 97.56 mph
- August: 98.17 mph
- September: 92.82 mph
- October: 93.61 mph
Sale is entering a contract year and with big money being thrown around for starting pitchers (see Nathan Eovaldi), the lefty is due for a payday. That is, if he can prove he is healthy. Another injury riddled season could spell trouble for Sale's ability to lock in a long term contract with the Red Sox, or elsewhere.
With Sale, Xander Bogaerts, and Rick Porcello heading for free agency next winter, and Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. lining up for big arbitration numbers, there is a chance Sale does not return to Boston after next season.
The health of his shoulder will be a big factor for both next season and his future.