White Sox ace Chris Sale struck out 11 batters over four scoreless innings in a rehab start Friday night at Triple-A Charlotte and then threw a 20-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday afternoon. If he wakes up Wednesday with no abnormal soreness, the lefty could be activated from the disabled list during this weekend’s four-game series against the Yankees.
“He threw free and easy enough to be able to be one of those (starters in that four-game set),” White Sox manager Robin Ventura told Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago on Tuesday. “How early, it’s too early to say. Seeing how he feels going through tonight and tomorrow, and we’ll make a decision based on that.”
Sale has been on the disabled list since April 18 with a flexor muscle strain in his pitching elbow.
The 25-year-old had a 2.30 ERA in four starts before suffering the elbow injury and boasts an outstanding 2.93 ERA (146 ERA+) with 558 strikeouts through his first 528 innings at the major league level.