Chris Sale made an excellent diving stop on a grounder by Juan Soto for the first out of the ninth inning to finish off his start against the New York Mets on Wednesday night.
Yet going hard to the ground cost the veteran left-hander a trip to the injured list. The Atlanta Braves announced on Saturday that Sale is going to the 15-day IL with a fractured ribcage. The injury occurred as Sale pitches his best game of the season, with 8 2/3 scoreless innings, five hits and one walk allowed, and seven strikeouts.
Sale actually stayed in the game after the play to strike out Pete Alonso on four pitches before leaving the game after allowing a bloop single to Brandon Nimmo. He threw 116 pitches overall, 85 for strikes.
The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner has a 2.52 ERA (third among NL starting pitchers) and 5-4 record in 15 starts, compiling 114 strikeouts in 89 1/3 innings.
With Wednesday’s 5-0 win, the Braves (34-40) had victories in six of their past eight games, part of a stretch during which Atlanta won seven of 10. Perhaps more importantly for the NL East standings, For the Mets, the defeat was their fifth straight in what’s become a seven-game losing streak that’s knocked them out of first place (45-31) in the division.
Sale’s IL stint is backdated to Thursday, which would make him eligible to return on July 3. However, a rib injury could keep him out for a longer period. Sale suffered a stress fracture in his right rib cage before the 2022 season that sidelined him for more than three months. This current injury appears to be to Sale’s left rib cage, based on how he landed.
The Braves had a strong top three to their starting rotation with Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach and Spencer Strider, who recently returned after recovering from elbow surgery. Grant Holmes (3-6, 3.97 ERA), Bryce Elder (2-3, 4.45) and Didier Fuentes (0-1, 7.20) currently fill out the rest of Atlanta’s starting staff. Atlanta lost AJ Smith-Shawver to Tommy John surgery earlier this month.
Prior to Sale’s last start, Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos shot down any idea of Sale being traded.
“Will. Not. Happen. Bold, italicize it, caps,” Anthopoulos said during an interview on Atlanta’s 680 The Fan, via MLB.com. He also cited the Braves having an $18 million club option for 2026 on Sale as a reason why he won’t be dealt.
To fill Sale’s spot on the active roster, the Braves recalled reliever Austin Cox from Triple-A Gwinnett. The left-hander had a 4.85 ERA in 11 appearances for the Stripers. Atlanta signed him after he was released by the Kansas City Royals earlier in the season.
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