Chris Sale Undergoes Surgery; Return Status Unknown

 It looked ugly. Chris Sale's bare hand was struck on Sunday by a 107 mph comebacker, and his pinky finger immediately was bent in a way that it's not supposed to be bent. The diagnosis, as expected, was a broken finger. 

The Red Sox have announced now that he has undergone surgery. The team said the procedure was "an open reduction and internal fixation of a left fifth finger proximal phalanx fracture." Basically, they fixed his fractured pinky.

But is he definitely out for the season?

Asked a Red Sox person if Chris Sale’s surgery means he’s definitely out for the season. Answer: “No.”

— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) July 18, 2022

Red Sox beat writer Chris Cotillo says the answer he got was simply, "no." So a return late in the year is still possible.

Sale had only just returned the previous week and made his first start of the season after missing the first three months recovering from a rib cage fracture. He tossed five scoreless innings in his debut on July 12th, then exited in the first inning on Sunday after being hit by the line drive. 

The Red Sox will have to make do without Sale for at least the next couple of months, and hope for a return before the playoffs—if they qualify.