Red Sox provide concerning Chris Sale injury update

Oct 8, 2021; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (41) pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning in game two of the 2021 ALDS at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Red Sox have not had much luck with injuries this season, and things appear to be going from bad to worse for them.

Ace left-hander Chris Sale will be re-evaluated in 3-to-4 weeks after suffering a stress reaction in his shoulder blade, the team announced Friday. Surgery has not been deemed necessary, but Sale will require significant rest and rehab.

Initial Chris Sale update from the Red Sox:

Imaging indicated a stress reaction in his scapula (shoulder blade) bone.
It's not a surgical case but requires rest and rehab.
They will reevaluate in 3-4 weeks and determine next steps from there.

— Gabrielle Starr (@gfstarr1) June 9, 2023

The timeline keeps Sale out until mid-July at the earliest. There is not necessarily any reason to believe that the lefty will be ready to return immediately after being re-evaluated, either.

The 34-year-old left his start on June 1 with arm soreness after just 3.2 innings. He simply has not been able to stay healthy since about 2018, and made just 11 starts over the 2021 and 2022 seasons combined. He had managed 11 starts so far in 2023, but his numbers were fairly pedestrian as he posted a 4.58 ERA in 59 innings. Admittedly, those numbers were somewhat inflated by some frustratingly poor outings at the beginning of the season.