He leaves eager to return… and in any role

BOSTON — With a date for his return in sight, Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale sounded excited about his progress while speaking to the media Tuesday at Fenway Park.

“It’s been a bit of a long road, but we’re here,” Sale said. “Hopefully he’s past the heavy stuff, and now he can do the fun stuff like facing hitters in practice and pitching in games. I’m very excited about all of this.”

Until the last few days, it had been a frustrating ride for Sale, who broke his ribs shooting solo during the lockout and then had a non-medical issue come up in May that set his recovery back a year or two. weeks.

With all that now in the past. Sale has returned to a normal pitching schedule. He threw 96 mph in live batting practice without fans in attendance Monday at the Red Sox minor league facility in Fort Myers, Florida. The fact that he was able to generate that kind of speed without the adrenaline rush of being in front of an audience can simply be seen as a good sign.

Sale will now pitch the equivalent of two innings of batting practice Thursday at Fenway Park.

Next, Sale will likely start a rehab assignment.

That stage may be a bit shorter if the Boston squad plans to use Sale as a reliever instead of a starter when he rejoins the big team.

What does Sale think of that alternative?

“Of course,” the lefty said. “I think at this point, the only thing that matters is being back on the mound. Anyway”.

It will be up to Red Sox manager Alex Cora to determine how the pieces will best fit together when Sale returns sometime in July. There could be an argument that it would be better to use Sale as a starter — especially with the uncertainty of Nathan Eovaldi’s absence — and send Garrett Whitlock back to the bullpen.

Everything would take care of itself. However, Sale would make a big impact, regardless of his role.

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He leaves eager to return… and in any role