Red Sox's Chris Sale to Go on IL with Shoulder Injury, Alex Cora Says

The injury woes keep coming for Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale.

After exiting Thursday's game against the Cincinnati Reds with left shoulder soreness, Sale was placed on the IL Friday, according to manager Alex Cora.

Sale, 34, had multiple mound visits from Cora and a team trainer during the fourth inning of Boston's 8-2 win at Fenway Park. But he was ultimately removed a few pitches later as the soreness intensified.

Cora is hoping that Sale didn't worsen the injury by ramping up the intensity on the last few pitches he threw to his final batter. He finished the night with 59 pitches and allowed one run on five hits while striking out six in 3 2/3 innings.

It's the last thing Red Sox fans would have wanted to see, especially with Sale's extensive injury history over the last few years. The seven-time All-Star and former Cy Young candidate only had two starts last season, nine in 2021, and missed the entire 2020 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

His 11 starts this season are the most since the 2019 campaign.

Boston will be hoping that this results in a short stint on the IL as he's missed at least 50 days in each of the last three seasons.

Although he hasn't been at this best this year, with a 4.58 ERA, Sale seemed to have been settling down over his last few outings. He had won his previous two starts going into Thursday night.

Boston is in last place in the AL East at 29-27 and sits 10 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.