Ace Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale has been diagnosed as having ‘flexor strain’ in his left elbow and ordered to rest for ‘a week or two’.
But he’s not out of the woods just yet.
If his elbow problem, which also troubled him late last season, does not responded to treatment, Tommy John surgery may be necessary.
And that would come as some very bad news for Sale and the Red Sox.
Last month it was announced by New York Yankees GM, Brian Cashman that the Yankees star pitcher, Luis Severino, was to undergo Tommy John elbow surgery.
Recovery from this operation was invariably a slow process. It could take Severino up to a year to fully recover, he warned.
Sale to join Severino?
Well the same could apply to the lanky 30-year-old Sale who only last year signed a $145 million, five-year deal to stay with the Red Sox.
He has been with them since joining them from the Chicago White Sox ahead of the 2017 season and has certainly distinguished himself during that time.
In 2018 the seven-time All Star left-hander led Boston to the World Series title and he is the current owner of a number of MBA records.
They include:
- 1.23 career strikeout per innings pitched
- 5.37 career strikeouts-to-walk ratio and
- He has reached 2,000 strikeouts in the fewest innings (1,626)
Right now, however, he has no idea what the immediate future holds for him.
“We should be in a better position to determine where we next go in two or three weeks,” he announced on MLB.com on Thursday.
“It’s a tough situation”
“It’s a tough situation. I’m telling you everything I know. “That’s all I got. I’m going to know a lot more in two or three weeks.
“I’ll be waiting for it. That’s all I can do,” he added.
Tommy John surgery (TJS) is a graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient’s body, or with one from a deceased donor.
The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is the major stabilizer of the elbow. UCL injuries are normally the result of overuse of the elbow, most often caused by the repetitive motion of throwing. The surgical procedure is named after the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John, the first man to undergo it.
Full recovery to competitive standards usually takes from between 9 and 12 months. But when it comes to putting players back into baseball at the top of their game, TJS has a success rate of between 80 and 90%.
NOTE: Boston begins their 2020 campaign against the Toronto Blue Jays on March 26.