Chris Sale to undergo Tommy John surgery

The inevitable has come.

Chris Sale will undergo Tommy John surgery, the Boston Red Sox announced on Thursday.

The announcement is not really surprising considering the way things have been going for Sale. He’s been dealing with elbow problems over the past month, which was an issue for him last season too. The Red Sox said Sale would not have to undergo Tommy John surgery, but many felt he would at some point.

Now with the opening of the baseball season being postponed and plenty of uncertainty hovering over the schedule, it makes sense for teams/players that were considering surgeries to have them now.

Sale is making $30 million this year, which is the first of a five-year, $145 million extension he signed with Boston. The southpaw is coming off a year where he went 6-11 with a 4.40 ERA, which was the worst season of his career.