In just 24 hours, the Boston Red Sox faced another setback from their offseason trade of starting pitcher Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves.
On Sunday, the Red Sox placed infielder Vaughn Grissom on the injured list for the second time this season.
Then, on Monday, Sale was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for May, showcasing a dominant start to his age-35 season.
In late December, Boston traded their longtime ace left-hander and cash to Atlanta for Grissom. The Braves subsequently signed Sale to a two-year, $38M contract on January 4, less than a week after the trade.
Sale is on track for his eighth All-Star selection, his first since 2018. During his seven years in Boston, he made two All-Star appearances, finished as the AL Cy Young runner-up in 2017, and won a World Series title in 2018.
A series of injuries had disrupted Sale’s career, as he hadn’t made more than 27 starts or pitched over 158 innings since 2017. Monday’s award was his first Pitcher of the Month honor since July 2018.
After helping Boston win the 2018 World Series, Sale signed a five-year, $145M contract extension. However, he went 6-11 with a 4.40 ERA in 2019, missed the 2020 season, and most of 2021 due to Tommy John surgery.
In 2022, Sale managed only two starts due to back issues, a broken finger, and a broken wrist but showed improvement in 2023, finishing 6-5 with a 4.30 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 125 strikeouts over 102 2/3 innings in 20 starts.
This season, Sale leads the National League in walks per nine innings (1.3), is third in WHIP (0.95), fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (10.9), and fifth in total strikeouts (82).
With 2023 All-Star Spencer Strider out for the year, Sale has stepped up, leading the team with an 8-1 record, a 3.06 ERA, and leading in WHIP, strikeouts, and innings pitched (67 2/3).
Meanwhile, Grissom has barely contributed in his 23 games with the Red Sox.
The 23-year-old started the spring on the injured list with a groin issue and has gone just 12-for-81 with no home runs and three RBIs so far.
