Chris Sale Admits Red Sox 'Wasted Time' Before Surgery in Latest Depressing Interview

Last week, Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale underwent Tommy John Surgery. The elbow injury was an underlying concern for a while (since at least August 2019), and at the start of spring training, Sale's trouble returned. The Red Sox, at that time, reported a flexor strain near the elbow and tried to avoid surgery, after treating the same issue with PRP injections last summer, too.

A half-year full of "last resorts" didn't do much, though -- Sale needed Tommy John anyway, and will miss just as much time, with 6.5 months of lost progress tacked onto it.

Sale didn't mice words on Tuesday, and acknowledged on a conference call that the team "wasted time" with their series of diagnoses.

Sale: "We wasted time with this because the end result was Tommy John...."

But: "I wouldn't have been 100% go like I was this past time because we turned over every stone. We did everything possible to prevent that. I'm OK with that."
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) April 7, 2020

He does concede that despite the wait being disappointing, he's glad they exhausted every possibility before moving forward. But that doesn't mean it doesn't sting.

What's worse is how the outcome crushed his otherwise high hopes for the season, at a time when he was assured by doctors he'd be a full go. Despite thinking a recovery was possible without any invasive procedure, he now has to wait for physical therapy to start before he can really head down that path.

Sale: "The thing I was upset with the most is that I truly thought I was in the clear. I had all the confidence in the world coming into ST that my arm was going to be as good, if not better, than it was my entire career."
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) April 7, 2020

The surgery will force him to miss 14-15 months. It's always disappointing when a star has to miss a significant amount of time, but the revelation that he could have started the healing process sooner is very depressing for Sale and Boston fans.

And don't think HE'S not thinking that way, too.