Chris Sale underwent MRI for sore elbow

The Boston Red Sox announced recently that Chris Sale will begin the regular season on the injured list after he missed some time in spring training with pneumonia, but the illness is no longer the only concern with the left-hander.

On Tuesday, the Red Sox announced that Sale was sent for an MRI the previous day after experiencing soreness in his elbow during live batting practice. The results of the MRI have not come back yet.

Chris Sale felt elbow soreness yesterday after live BP. They sent him for an MRI. Results not back yet.

— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) March 3, 2020

Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said last week that Sale would begin the season on the IL just to regain his strength after battling pneumonia, but elbow soreness is an entirely different issue. With Boston having traded David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of the Mookie Betts deal, any potential injury to their ace is a major development.

Sale had some elbow issues last season, but there had been no indication prior to this week that he or the Red Sox expected that to be a problem heading into 2020. He also dealt with fatigue in his throwing shoulder down the stretch in 2018, and that led to concerns about his velocity during the postseason.

Between the pneumonia recovery and now elbow soreness, it would not be a surprise if Sale missed significant time to begin the season.