Red Sox SP Chris Sale Says He Had COVID-19 in January Amid Injury Rehab

Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale says he was diagnosed with COVID-19 in January as he was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.

Speaking to reporters from spring training Thursday, Sale said he had mild symptoms overall but lost his sense of smell and taste.

Boston signed Sale to a five-year, $145 million contract extension in 2019. The southpaw was instrumental in the Red Sox's run to the 2018 World Series title, including closing out the clinching Game 5 against the Los Angeles Dodgers by striking out Manny Machado.

Sale missed all of last season after undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery in March. He missed the final two months of the 2019 campaign with elbow inflammation.

There remains no timetable for Sale to pitch this season, though he did say Thursday that he's "full go."

If the Red Sox hope to improve on their disappointing last-place finish in the AL East in 2020, they need Sale to be healthy and perform at the level that made him one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball from 2010 to 2019.

Sale owns a 3.03 ERA with 2,007 strikeouts and a 1.04 WHIP in 312 appearances.