Red Sox's Chris Sale Exits With Shoulder Injury vs. Reds

Chris Sale exited the Boston Red Sox's game Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds after throwing just 59 pitches.

The Red Sox's injury-plagued pitcher was removed due to left shoulder soreness after multiple mound visits from manager Alex Cora and medical staff.

Before leaving the game, Sale allowed one run on five hits while striking out six in 3 2/3 innings. The pitcher has missed at least 50 days in three straight seasons due to injuries ranging from broken bones to Tommy John surgery.

Sale, who earned wins in his last two starts for the Red Sox, started out strong on Thursday night by striking out six of Cincinnati's first eight batters.

As the innings progressed, Sale's pitch velocity slowed. In the fourth, Sale allowed two doubles and a flyout, and then fell behind in the count to Reds outfielder Nick Senzel, before receiving a mound visit from Cora and an athletic trainer.

Sale walked Senzel, and Cora and the trainer returned to the mound to remove Sale from the game.

The early exit is a concerning setback. Despite dealing with a stomach bug last week, the pitcher held strong through five innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Six days before that, he earned a win by holding the San Diego Padres to two runs and three hits while striking out eight through seven innings.

In his last five starts heading into Thursday, Sale claimed a 4-0 record while allowing 20 hits, eight earned runs and four walks—and recording 35 strikeouts for a 2.23 ERA in 32.1 innings pitched.

Sale, a Cy Young candidate as recently as 2018, has been limited to just 11 starts over the last three seasons due to injury. So far this season, he has already made 11. Red Sox fans will hope that the shoulder soreness is minor and that Sale will be able to finally enjoy a healthy season.