BOSTON — Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale has left pinkie surgery Monday after being hit by an arrow during a game against the New York Yankees.
The Red Sox said the surgery was successful, but didn’t give a timeline for a return to play. A broken bone usually takes four to six weeks to heal, which could allow Sale to return. before the end of the campaign.
In Sunday’s first innings against the Yankees — and only his second start since returning from a broken rib — Sale was hit in the hand by the arrow hit at 106 miles per hour by Aaron Hicks. The Red Sox southpaw started screaming in pain and he immediately walked off the field.
“After one look at the finger, I knew it was broken,” Sale said Sunday. That feeling of freezing water flowing through your body when something like that happens. As soon as I looked down, the finger was broken.”
A seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star selection, Sale broke a rib while practicing on his own during the lockout. He returned to action on Tuesday and was scoreless for the Tampa Bay Rays for five innings.
The 33-year-old Sale has pitched just 48 1/3 innings for the Red Sox since the end of the 2019 season. Last season, he went 5-1 and had a 3 ERA. .16 in nine starts in his return from Tommy John-type surgery.
Sale is in the third year of a five-year contract worth US$145 million.
Jimmy Golen, The Associated Press
