2:20 p.m.: The Red Sox announced to reporters, including MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, that Sale’s pinky finger is broken. “Fracture of left fifth finger” is the official diagnosis. There is no word yet on his expected absence. 1:45 p.m.: Red Sox starter Chris Sale left today’s game after scoring just two outs after an Aaron Hicks fan hit his arm and appeared to injure it. Although the extent of the injury will not be known until tests are carried out, the telecast showed obvious damage to the hand, with Sale immediately leaving the field without hesitation. (Twitter video link from start 9.) Making this extra frustrating for the Red Sox, this was just Sale’s second start of the year. He missed the first few months of the season with a stress fracture in his rib cage. After months of rehab and getting back into match shape, he now had the incredible bad luck to get hit in the arm and suffer yet another injury. The lefty also underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020, missing all of that season and most of the 2021 campaign. Overall, he has thrown fewer than 50 innings since the end of the 2019 campaign. The timing of the injury is troubling for the Red Sox, who have had a lot of problems in the rotation recently. Nathan Eovaldi just returned after missing more than a month, but Rich Hill, Michael Wacha, Connor Seabold and Josh Winckowski have landed in IL in recent weeks. The All-Star break starts tomorrow, giving the club a few days to figure things out. But if Sale has to miss time, they’ll depend on Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta and Cutter Crawford. After the break, the Red Sox have played 17 straight days, which means they will definitely need reinforcements. Hill and Wacha are making progress but won’t be ready after the break, reports Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe. Garrett Whitlock has made nine starts for the club this year, but has been working out of the bullpen since returning from his own stint in IL. The club could consider moving him back into the rotation, though he would need to come back for such an assignment. Prospect Brayan Bello made two starts at the major league level recently, but posted a 10.13 ERA and was optioned back to the minors. There’s also James Paxton, who was signed in the offseason with the knowledge he wouldn’t be available until the second half of the season due to Tommy John surgery last year. However, he has yet to embark on a rehab mission and is likely still weeks away from his return. Of course, Boston could also look for outside additions as the Aug. 2 trade deadline is now just two weeks away. Despite mounting injuries in the rotation, the club entered today’s game at 48-44, just one game behind the Blue Jays for a playoff spot. (Although the Jays have since beaten the Royals, moving a half-game ahead.) Some of the top players believed to be available on the market include Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle and Frankie Montas, among others. However, the Red Sox will have plenty of competition in those markets, as most prospects are looking for extra arms this offseason.
