Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale had surgery on his broken left pinkie finger on Monday, a day after it was hit by a line drive in a game against the New York Yankees.
The team called the surgery successful but did not give a timetable for his return. A broken bone usually takes 4-6 weeks to heal, which would allow Sale to return before the end of the season.
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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale walks off the mound after a hand injury during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
In the first inning of Sunday's game against the Yankees — just his second start since returning from a broken rib — Sale was hit in the hand by Aaron Hicks' 106 mph line drive. The Red Sox starter screamed in pain and walked immediately off the field.
"One look at this finger, I knew (it was broken) immediately," Sale said on Sunday. "That feeling of just that kind of cold water rushing through your body when something like that happens. I soon as I hit the ground, I looked down, the finger is gone."
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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale walks off the mound after a hand injury during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
A seven-time All-Star with the potential to be a staff ace if healthy — and vaccinated — Sale broke a rib while working out on his own during the lockout. He returned on Tuesday and pitched five scoreless innings against Tampa Bay.
Sale, 33, has thrown just 48 1/3 innings for the Red Sox since the end of the 2019 season. Last season, he went 5-1 with a 3.16 ERA in nine starts in his return from Tommy John surgery.
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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Sunday, July 17, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
He is in the third year of a five-year, $145 million deal.