Red Sox Suggest Chris Sale Could Miss Opening Day Due to Pneumonia

The 2020 season is starting off on the same disappointing note that the 2019 campaign ended with for the Boston Red Sox.

Not only did Boston trade two of their biggest stars in Mookie Betts and David Price, but there's now a chance ace southpaw Chris Sale could miss the start of the season with a bout of pneumonia.

Though Sale has emphasized that he doesn't feel particularly under the weather, it doesn't seem like the Red Sox are going to try their look with their star pitcher.

"We're going to still go a little bit easy on him," said interim manager Ron Roenicke. "It's not worth taking a risk on having him Opening Day exactly and where we’re pushing him to get him there."

Spending time dealing with injuries and illnesses has become a worrisome recurring theme for Sale over the past couple of years. He's failed to eclipse 160 innings of work in each of the past two seasons.

That's not a good sign for one of the few remaining bright spots on Boston's roster, especially as he heads into the first season of a five-year, $145 million extension.

Opening Day is still over six weeks away, so it's not like the sky is falling for the Red Sox. But all things considered, this is not the news they needed at the outset of camp.