Levine: Sale To Miss Two Weeks With Elbow Strain
By Bruce Levine-
(CBS) -- White Sox ace Chris Sale had an MRI that revealed a strain to the flexor muscle of his left elbow.
Soreness developed in Sale's arm after a 127-pitch outing on Thursday against Boston. The 25 pitches in the seventh and final inning of a close game might have been too much for Sale.
An MRI on Monday confirmed a strain, but there's no apparent ligament damage.
Sale was placed on the 15-day disabled list and will miss his start against Detroit and another against Texas this weekend before being re-evaluated.
In May 2012, Sale experienced the same injury and eventually came back strong, winning 17 games in 29 starts. The White Sox did rest Sale for two weeks that summer and backed up two other starts to protect the young pitcher from excessive stress.
In 2013, Sale missed two weeks with left shoulder soreness. He did manage to make 30 starts without further incidents.
Sale has always been the subject of the baseball community, with reference to his violent delivery and his slight frame. Many scouts believe Sale needs to rework his pitching mechanics if he is to have a long career in the major leagues.
Still, when the White Sox signed Sale to a 5-year, $32-million contract in March 2013, many industry insiders believed the contract was a fair one for the security of the pitcher and a moderate risk for Chicago. The White Sox were able to insure up to 60 percent of the total contract.
A fascinating aspect of all major league contracts is the revelation that baseball owners can write off 40 percent of all major league player contracts each year. Players are considered assets, and owners are entitled to the write-off, due to depreciation of an asset like any other holding.
Minor league pitcher Charlie Leesman will be called up to take Sale's spot in the rotation, and he'll start this afternoon against the Tigers. Andre Rienzo was called up over the weekend to replace Felipe Paulino, who has a sore shoulder.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
