The Red Sox will consider utilizing Sale (ribs) out of the bullpen to help expedite his return to the major-league roster, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Returning as a reliever would cut down Sale's return timeline, as he wouldn't need to be fully built up to a starter's workload before being activated. The left-hander has yet to face live hitters but could do so next week, and how that session goes should go a long way toward determining the next steps in his rehab program. Sale's bullpen sessions to this point have been limited to about 25 pitches, so he'll need a significant period to continue ramping up if Boston opts to immediate re-insert him into the starting rotation.