The Boston Red Sox’s 2019 season has been a disappointing follow-up to their World Series title run last season. Not only do they find themselves trailing the AL East-leading and bitter rival Yankees by 16 games, they’re also 6.5 games out of a playoff spot.
After learning on Monday that rotation ace Chris Sale will miss the remainder of this season due to left elbow inflammation, the Red Sox look likely to just punt on this season and look to come back strong for 2020.
Sale felt discomfort and soreness in his pitching elbow after his start against the Indians on August 14th. This set off alarm bells in Boston and around baseball, as Sale is considered to be one of the top starters in the game.
While the original concern was that Sale might have suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament, Dr. James Andrews’s diagnosis is that he is simply dealing with inflammation. It isn’t the worst news, but it will put an end to Sale’s disappointing 2019 season.
Sale has posted a 4.40 ERA this season despite leading the league in strikeout rate, largely due to an inability to keep the ball in the park.
That nightmare campaign looks to be over, as the lefty will undergo a platelet-rich plasma injection in an attempt to keep the inflammation under control and he looks to come back strong next season.
