WATCH: Chris Sale faces live batters in latest rehab milestone originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Chris Sale continues to make progress in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and he reached another milestone this weekend.
The Boston Red Sox ace pitched to live batters during a simulated game at Fenway Park on Saturday.
Here’s some video of Sale in action:
Red Sox manager Alex Cora gave his take on Sale’s pitches before Saturday night’s game against the rival New York Yankees:
Sale has not pitched in an MLB game since Sept. 26, 2019. He underwent Tommy John surgery in March of 2020.
The optimal scenario for the Red Sox is Sale coming back before the end of the year and helping them late in the playoff race and/or the postseason itself.
The Red Sox have one of the league’s best offenses and rank second in the American League in runs scored entering Saturday. Starting pitching is one area that needs to be upgraded before the trade deadline.
If the Sox can acquire another veteran starter and also bring Sale back late in the season, they’d have a much stronger chance of winning the pennant in October.