Sale undergoes Tommy John surgery in Los Angeles
Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale underwent Tommy John surgery to repair the damaged ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow on Monday, the team announced.
Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the surgery in Los Angeles. Sale will miss the entire 2020 season, regardless of when it begins.
Sale's surgery took place 11 days after it was revealed he needed the procedure. The timing had been unclear due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Many elective surgeries across the United States have been postponed to save resources for treating COVID-19 patients. Los Angeles County issued recommendations for such procedures but did not outlaw them entirely.
"Obviously, it is important and even necessary to his livelihood," Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said, according to Chris Cotillo of Mass Live. "We know this is not life and death and that there are people who are suffering in situations that are life and death.
"That's why it's important to us to make sure that we weren't putting any burden on the health system that would be a negative for people who are battling the coronavirus or any other ailment."
Noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews has temporarily stopped performing the operation at his Florida clinic, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.
The 31-year-old Sale, who celebrated his birthday Monday, made just 25 starts for Boston last season, posting a career-worst 4.40 ERA along with 218 strikeouts. After missing part of spring training with pneumonia, he experienced elbow pain late in camp, ultimately leading to the surgery.
Sale's five-year, $145-million contract extension with the Red Sox comes into effect this season.