Chris Sale Returns to Braves After Rib Injury Rehab, Will Start vs. Phillies

The injury-ravaged rotation for the Atlanta Braves will get a big boost with the return of 2024 NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale.

Atlanta announced on Saturday that Sale has been reinstated from the injured list after missing nearly three months due to a fractured rib cage.

Sale is expected to start against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday night.

The injury occurred in the ninth inning of Atlanta's 5-0 win over the New York Mets on June 18. He dove to field a grounder off the bat of Juan Soto and threw to first base for the out.

Sale remained in the game attempting to record his first complete-game shutout since 2019, but Brandon Nimmo's two-out single knocked him out of game.

Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters on June 21, when Sale was placed on the IL with a fractured ribcage, that the nine-time All-Star didn't notice anything was wrong until he was doing exercises one day earlier.

"He was doing his exercises yesterday and felt like something wasn't right, so they had him looked at it, and it showed what it showed. … It's just a freak thing. An unfortunate thing. I saw him after the game that night and he was doing his postgame workout. And then I saw him the next day and I think he maybe felt a little uncomfortable the next day. But then yesterday is when he wanted to get it checked out."

Sale's injury was part of a brutal stretch for the Braves in which every member of their Opening Day rotation wound up on the IL at the same time.

Grant Holmes and AJ Smith-Shawver are both out for the season. Reynaldo López and Spencer Schwellenbach are trying to return this season, though it's unclear if they will be able to.

Sale was having another terrific season prior to the injury. He had a 2.52 ERA and 114 strikeouts over 89.1 innings in 15 starts.

The Braves (61-74) have been one of the biggest disappointments in MLB this season, due in large part to the injuries they have endured. They enter Saturday 12 games behind the Mets for the final wild card spot in the NL.