BOSTON, MA - The Boston Red Sox today placed left-handed pitcher Chris Sale on the 10-day disabled list with mild left shoulder inflammation, retroactive to Wednesday, August 15. To fill Sale's spot on the 25-man roster, the club recalled right-handed pitcher Brandon Workman from Triple-A Pawtucket.
President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski made the announcement.
Sale, 29, is 12-4 with a 1.97 ERA (32 ER/146.0 IP) in 23 starts this season. He entered today leading the majors in opponent batting average (.175), opponent OPS (.518), WHIP (0.85), and strikeouts per 9.0 innings (13.50), while leading the American league in ERA. The left-hander has not allowed a run in his last 28.0 innings pitched or surrendered a home run in his last 68.0 innings, both the longest streaks in the majors this season. Sale is 6-0 with a 0.20 ERA (1 ER/44.0 IP) in his last seven outings, recording 79 strikeouts and six walks in that time. Acquired by Boston in December 2016, he has made 55 starts as a member of the Red Sox, going 29-12 with a 2.52 ERA (101 ER/360.1 IP) and 527 strikeouts.
Workman, 30, has made 26 relief appearances over two stints with Boston this season, going 2-0 with a 2.59 ERA (7 ER/24.1 IP), a .233 opponent batting average, a 1.15 WHIP, 24 strikeouts, and seven walks. The right-hander has also made 17 appearances for Pawtucket, posting a 3.90 ERA (13 ER/30.0 IP) with 34 strikeouts, five walks, and a .191 opponent batting average. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2015, Workman returned to the majors in 2017, recording a 3.18 ERA (14 ER/39.2 IP) in 33 relief appearances and earning the Red Sox Comeback Player of the Year Award from the Boston Baseball Writers.