Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Sale (rib) will likely be activated from the 60-day injured list to start Tuesday's game at Tampa Bay, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports. "He'll pitch Tuesday. Somewhere, he'll pitch Tuesday, but there's a good chance he'll pitch with us," Cora said.
Cora still left the door open a crack for Sale's next outing to come in the minors, but all signs point to the southpaw slotting back into the Boston rotation next week for what would be his first appearance with the big club since the 2021 postseason. He didn't make a start in spring training after suffering a stress fracture on the right side of his rib cage in a mid-March throwing session, but the 33-year-old looks to be healthy again after a nearly four-month layoff. Though Sale was far from sharp in his fourth rehab outing with Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday -- he issued five walks in 3.2 innings -- he still struck out five batters and built up to 77 pitches. Assuming he's activated for Tuesday's game, Sale should face only a light restriction with his workload.