Chris Sale’s transition from reliever to starter has gone exceptionally well, but the left-hander admitted yesterday that he’s now “going through a little dead-arm period” and the White Sox plan to give him some rest.
Sale made it clear that he doesn’t think the issue is anything serious, telling Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that it’s “nothing anyone else doesn’t go through.”
However, his velocity has dipped in recent starts and Sale has already logged 124 innings after throwing a total of 71 as a reliever last season. He’s also allowed five runs in back-to-back starts after going 11-2 with a 2.11 ERA through 17 outings.
Chicago also gave Sale some extra time off around the All-Star break and manager Robin Ventura indicated that they’ll wait to see how he feels in the next few days before lining up his next start, saying: “We’re just trying to take care of him.”
