Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Sale (ribcage) will likely be activated from the 60-day injured list to start Saturday's game in Philadelphia, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
With Sale checking out well physically following his third and final rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Gwinnett, he'll be on track to rejoin the Atlanta rotation one week later for what will be his first start with the big club since June 18. Before suffering a left ribcage fracture in his start against the Mets that day, Sale had delivered an impressive encore to his Cy Young-winning season in 2024, turning in a 2.52 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 114:26 K:BB in 89.1 innings with Atlanta. The veteran lefty tossed 77 pitches in his final outing with Gwinnett and could have his workload monitored carefully Saturday, but fantasy managers will likely still want to activate Sale this week as he rejoins the big club.
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Braves' Chris Sale: Expected to return next week
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Sale (ribcage) is expected to be activated from the 60-day injured list to make a start for Atlanta during next week's series in Philadelphia that begins Thursday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Sale made was likely his third and final rehab start Saturday, tossing 4.2 innings and allowing one run on four hits and zero walks with five strikeouts for Triple-A Gwinnett. He threw 77 pitches in the outing, so he could be operating with some light workload restrictions when he makes his return to the Atlanta rotation. Before landing on the shelf June 21 due to a left ribcage fracture, Sale went 5-4 with a 2.52 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 114:26 K:BB across 89.1 innings for Atlanta.
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Braves' Chris Sale: One more rehab start on tap
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Sale (ribcage) will make one more rehab start at Double-A Columbus on Saturday before rejoining the Atlanta rotation, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Sale went four innings and threw 56 pitches in his second rehab outing Sunday with Triple-A Gwinnett, so it's not a surprise the club wants him to make one more rehab start. According to Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta is targeting Sale for roughly 75 pitches during his upcoming start with Columbus. As long as all goes well during that rehab outing, Sale will return from the 60-day injured list to make his next start with Atlanta as soon as Aug. 28 in Philadelphia. Sale has been on the shelf since June 21 due to a left ribcage fracture.
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Braves' Chris Sale: Works four frames in rehab start
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Sale (ribcage) struck out four and allowed one earned run on three hits and one walk over four innings in his rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Gwinnett.
Sale had another strong showing in the second outing of his rehab assignment, firing 39 of his 56 pitches for strikes while inducing six swings and misses. The southpaw will likely make one more start on the farm before returning from the 60-day injured list in the final week of August and being part of what's expected to be a six-man rotation for Atlanta heading into the final month of the season.
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Braves' Chris Sale: Second rehab start coming Sunday
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Sale (ribcage) will make his second rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Gwinnett, and Atlanta could shift to a six-man rotation once he's activated from the 60-day injured list, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
After designating Carlos Carrasco for assignment Thursday to make room in the rotation for rookie Hurston Waldrep, Atlanta is currently running with a standard five-man rotation. Moving to a six-man setup for the final month-plus of the season would help manage the workloads of Waldrep, Sale and Spencer Strider, especially considering the team has only two off days in September. After his upcoming outing Sunday, Sale is likely to make another start after that to get further stretched out before slotting back into the Atlanta rotation. The veteran southpaw has been on the shelf since June 21 due to a fractured left ribcage.
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Braves' Chris Sale: Two innings in rehab start
Rotowire
Sale (ribs) was charged with one run over two innings of work in his first rehab start with Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.
Sale permitted three hits and two walks while recording a pair of strikeouts, throwing 40 pitches over his two frames. The left-hander averaged 93.9 mph with his four-seamer, which is down one tick from his season average. Per Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sale is likely to make two more rehab starts before rejoining the big-league rotation.
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Braves' Chris Sale: Making rehab start Tuesday
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Sale (ribs) will make his first rehab start with Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Last year's NL Cy Young winner threw 30 pitches in a simulated game Thursday and is now ready to embark on a minor-league rehab assignment, which may consist of only two starts. Sale struggled out of the gate this season but was finding his form before he injured himself on an ill-fated dive attempt, posting a 0.86 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in six starts leading up to his placement on the IL in mid-June.
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Braves' Chris Sale: Will need at least two rehab starts
Rotowire
Sale (ribs) will begin a rehab assignment next week and may need only two starts before rejoining the big-league rotation, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
"Today was a good box to check after kind of a long layoff," Sale said Thursday after throwing 30 pitches in a simulated game. "When you go through something like this, the most important thing is feeling good afterwards. And I was able to throw a lot of strikes, too. So, we'll see what tomorrow brings and go from there." The veteran southpaw has been sidelined since June 18 due to a rib injury, but he appears on track to be back before the end of the month.
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Braves' Chris Sale: Rehab start coming soon
Rotowire
Sale (ribs) threw a successful 30-pitch simulated game Thursday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
As long as Sale bounces back well Friday, he will be cleared to begin a rehab assignment. The left-hander is eligible for activation from the 60-day injured list Aug. 19, and he should be ready to go on that date or shortly after following a rehab start or two. Sale has been sidelined since mid-June with a fracture in his left ribcage.
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Braves' Chris Sale: Facing hitters Thursday
Rotowire
Sale (ribs) will throw a live batting practice Thursday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Sale continues to rehab from a fracture in his left ribcage that has sidelined him since mid-June. There's no concrete plan yet for the veteran southpaw after Thursday's session, but manager Brian Snitker indicated he would probably need at least one rehab start before returning to Atlanta's rotation. Sale is eligible to be activated from the 60-day injured list Aug. 19.
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Braves' Chris Sale: Slated to face hitters soon
Rotowire
Sale (ribs) threw a bullpen session Monday and is expected to face hitters soon in live batting practice, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Sale is just over two weeks away from being eligible for activation from the 60-day injured list, but Atlanta has little reason to rush him back onto the mound. The left-hander has been sidelined since mid-June with a fractured left ribcage. Because Sale has missed so much time, he's likely to make at least one rehab start before rejoining the rotation.
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Braves' Chris Sale: Plays catch Tuesday
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Sale (ribs) played catch Tuesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Sale appears to be throwing again for the first time since he was diagnosed with a fractured left ribcage nearly a month ago. The left-hander was moved to the 60-day injured list earlier this month, making him ineligible to return until the third full week of August.
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Braves' Chris Sale: No timeline for return
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Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Monday that while the team fully anticipates Sale to pitch again this season, it won't have a timeline until it sees how the pitcher's fractured left ribcage heals, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Sale suffered the ribcage fracture while making a diving play during his start last Wednesday against the Mets and was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday. He will remain with the major-league club on its road trip because the team travels with a machine that Sale will use to help stimulate bone healing. Atlanta should have more on Sale's progress in the coming weeks.
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Braves' Chris Sale: Back on pitching schedule Wednesday
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Sale is scheduled to make his next start Wednesday against the Mets in Atlanta, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
After striking out a season-high 11 batters in seven innings in his most recent start last Monday in Milwaukee, Sale was denied a two-start week when Atlanta opted to push him off his previously scheduled turn Sunday against the Rockies. Grant Holmes ended up getting the start Sunday, and Sale will now end up returning to the hill on eight days' rest for the second game of the home series versus the Mets. The decision to push Sale back in the schedule wasn't the result of any health concern; instead, Atlanta simply wanted to have the reigning Cy Young Award winner make each of his next three starts against divisional rivals as the 31-39 squad looks to make up ground in the NL East. After Wednesday's outing, Sale will tentatively line up to make his next two starts June 23 on the road against the Mets and June 28 at home versus the Phillies.
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Braves' Chris Sale: Won't start Sunday
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Sale is having his start pushed back from Sunday to a game during Atlanta's upcoming series against the Mets, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Sale isn't dealing with any disclosed injury, rather Atlanta appears to be saving him for a key divisional series against the Mets. Grant Holmes will step in for Sales' originally scheduled start Sunday against the Rockies.
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Braves' Chris Sale: Fans 11 in victory
Rotowire
Sale (4-4) earned the win over Milwaukee on Monday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out 11 batters over seven innings.
Sale was dominant in the win, as he gave up only one extra-base hit and racked up 14 whiffs. The left-hander's 11 punchouts were a season high and marked the fourth time on the campaign he's reached double-digit strikeouts. Sale had an uneven start to the campaign, but he's now given up two or fewer earned runs in 10 straight outings. He's been particularly dominant over his current five-game streak of quality starts, allowing just four runs across 33 frames and posting a 43:12 K:BB during that stretch.
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Braves' Chris Sale: Makes history in win
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Sale (3-3) earned the win Thursday in the second game of a doubleheader against the Phillies, allowing two hits and three walks over six scoreless innings. He struck out eight.
Sale was dominant Thursday, holding a potent Phillies offense scoreless en route to his third win this season. With his eight Ks in Thursday's nightcap, the southpaw reached 2,500 strikeouts for his career, doing so in 2,026 innings -- the fastest pitcher in MLB history to hit that milestone, breaking Randy Johnson's record of 2,107.2 innings, per Anthony Sanfilippo of the Associated Press. After a shaky start to the year, Sale has posted a 1.42 ERA with 54 strikeouts in his last seven outings (44.1 innings). Overall, the reigning NL Cy Young winner's ERA sits at 3.06 with a 1.24 WHIP and 86:19 K:BB across 12 starts (67.2 innings) this season. He'll look to keep rolling his next time out, tentatively scheduled for next week at home against the Diamondbacks.
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Braves' Chris Sale: Punches out seven in no-decision
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Sale took a no-decision in Friday's 2-1 loss to San Diego, allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out six across seven innings.
Sale generated 15 whiffs on 95 pitches (64 strikes), and his lone blemish came in the second inning, when he yielded a solo home run to Gavin Sheets. Sale has logged at least seven strikeouts in seven of his last eight starts, and his 78 punchouts across 61.2 innings this season are tied with Garrett Crochet for fifth most in the majors. Sale will take a 3.36 ERA and 1.28 WHIP into his next start, tentatively slated for next week on the road against the Phillies.
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Braves' Chris Sale: Fans eight in seven strong innings
Rotowire
Sale (2-3) earned the win Friday against the Red Sox after allowing one run on five hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out eight.
Sale fanned at least eight in his fourth straight start, delivering his third quality start in that span. The star left-hander endured a rough start to the season, which saw him post a 6.17 ERA through five outings, but he's now thrown at least five innings while surrendering two runs or fewer in each of his past five appearances. Sale will aim to further improve his 3.62 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 72:15 K:BB over 54.2 innings in his next start against the Nationals, currently projected for next week.
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Braves' Chris Sale: Fans eight in no-decision
Rotowire
Sale took a no-decision in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Pirates, allowing three runs (two earned) on eight hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out eight.
The Atlanta southpaw generated a solid 18 whiffs in this 99-pitch outing, falling one out shy of notching his third consecutive quality start. Despite yielding eight base knocks, only one of the hits went for extra bases -- an Alexander Canario double in the fourth. Through 47.2 frames, Sale owns a 3.97 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 64:13 K:BB. He is currently scheduled to make his next start against one of his former teams, the Red Sox, in Boston next weekend.
