Should Chris Sale's Elbow Be An Injury Concern?
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- There are a lot of positives in the Red Sox' acquisition of Chris Sale from the Chicago White Sox. He vaults the Red Sox to the top of the American League ranks. He has the kind of fearlessness you look for in a staff leader. The pressure that comes with pitching in the Boston market won't affect him.
But it's also fair to note the negatives involved with Sale, and one of them has been a concern throughout his career, despite never growing into a major problem. The issue lies in Sale's whipping sidearm delivery and the stress that it puts on his elbow, which has suffered through minor injuries and false alarms but never anything significant.
Is Sale's throwing arm a ticking time bomb?
It's actually kind of incredible that a pitcher with Sale's build - his bio lists him at 6-foot-6 and a svelte 180 pounds - and delivery has never missed more than a few starts here and there, let alone been in serious danger of needing Tommy John surgery. Yet Sale's injury history since 2012, his first full season as a starter, is surprisingly inconsequential ...
- 2012: Sale missed one start and moved to the bullpen for one outing in early May due to stiffness and soreness in his elbow. An MRI on May 10 revealed no damage and he returned to the rotation on May 12.
- 2013: Sale was scratched from his start on May 22 - coincidentally, against the Red Sox - as a precautionary measure with mild tendinitis in his throwing shoulder. He returned for his next start on June 2.
- 2014: Sale hit the 15-day disabled list for the first (and only) time in his career with a strained flexor muscle in his left arm. The injury came after he threw 127 pitches in his previous start - also, coincidentally, against the Red Sox. An MRI revealed no ligament damage and he returned to start on May 22 against the Yankees, allowing one hit and striking out 10 in 6 innings.
- 2015: In more of a "freak" type of injury, Sale broke his foot in late February while unloading his truck at his home. He joked with reporters about the injury, saying he hit an intruder with a roundhouse kick. He missed only one start and made his 2015 season debut on April 12, allowing one run and striking out 8 in 6 innings against the Twins.
Sale escaped the 2016 season without missing time due to injury, but he was suspended for five days by the White Sox after that whole thing with the throwback jerseys.
This is not to say that Sale is necessarily "due" for a major elbow injury. That he has escaped his prior problems with minor injuries and minimal missed time could speak to his durability. But his delivery has always made him a popular target for potential Tommy John surgery, and that won't go away anytime soon during his time in Boston. Changing Sale's arm slot wouldn't be a solution; deception is part of what makes him so tough to hit, especially for lefties.
Ultimately, the Red Sox may simply have to hold their breath and hope that Sale doesn't have any issues with his arm or elbow beyond the occasional flare-up - and that the major surgery that some may feel is inevitable doesn't come while he's in a Red Sox uniform. Sale's ability to survive through five full seasons without missing significant time is encouraging, but his history of close calls is ominous.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
