Chris Sale injury update: Red Sox ace out for the season after breaking wrist in biking accident

Abraham Smith

The sale is over folks.

It’s been a rotten season for the Red Sox, sitting last in a deep AL East. That season got a whole lot worse on Tuesday when news broke that southpaw Chris Sale would miss the rest of the season after breaking his wrist while riding his bike.

Between mind-bending injuries and a dugout collapse at the Sox’s Triple-A offshoot, it’s been a season to forget for Sale. He only appears in one game in 2022 and is struggling to find fitness. The left-hander is one of baseball’s best pitchers when healthy. But that hasn’t happened too often lately — Sale has only played 48 2/3 innings over the past two seasons.

Sale’s misfortune of late has been frustrating for the Red Sox, to say the least. Boston general manager Chaim Bloom put it bluntly:

Who does not laugh will cry.

Here’s everything you need to know about Sale’s latest injury, including a recovery timeline and what it means for Boston’s (faint) playoff chances.

What injury does Chris Sale have?

The Red Sox announced that Sale broke his right wrist on August 6th. He sustained the injury in a bicycle accident and underwent surgery on August 8 to repair the fracture.

According to John Hopkins Medicine, a distal fracture is one of the most common wrist fractures. They’re mainly caused by falls, so it makes sense that Sale would contract the condition after falling off his bike.

It’s important to note that Sale suffered the injury to his non-throwing wrist.

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How long will Chris Sale be out?

Due to the injury, Sale will miss the rest of the 2022 season. The fact that Sale underwent surgery for the injury suggests he may be off the hill a little longer than expected. distal fractures can usually heal on their own provided a patient is given a sling and cast. In this case, a patient can become active again after just six weeks.

Sale’s surgery suggests he’s likely to miss months rather than weeks. That aligns with Boston’s announcement, as the Red Sox stated that Sale will be back for spring 2023 training.

Chronicle of Chris Sale’s injury

After a fairly consistent first 10 years in the league, Sale has been plagued by injuries over the last three seasons.

He underwent surgery by Tommy John in 2020 and missed the entire truncated season. Sale returned in late 2021 and impressed over the course of nine starts, hitting 52 in 42 2/3 innings and posting a 150 ERA+.

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But injuries continued to mount for the 33-year-old this year, limiting his time on the field. He fractured his rib cage in spring training, an illness that kept him out until July. And on his first start back, Sale broke his pinky on a comeback.

Sale’s injuries have put a damper on what has been a pretty impressive career. Sale inked a five-year, $145 million deal in 2019 to remain with the Red Sox. At this point, Sale had finished in the top five on the AL Cy Young poll for six of the previous seven seasons.

Since then, Sale has averaged about 19 innings per season.

What does Sale’s injury mean for the Red Sox’s playoff chances?

Boston’s playoff chances were already dwindling. However, Sale’s injury could just be the nail in the coffin.

The Red Sox’s are 4.5 games away from the wild card. This is certainly not an insurmountable deficit. However, the surging Orioles are a game away. The Guardians and White Sox, two teams expected to battle for postseason action early in the season, also sit ahead of Boston in the wildcard standings.

It’s going to be a long way back for the Sox, who have won just four of their last 10 games.

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