Chris Sale says he's not even a baseball player right now

When the Boston Red Sox traded for Chris Sale in 2017, they hoped they’d get an ace for years to come. The talent was there, the numbers were there, and even the durability had been there since he made his Major League Baseball debut in 2010.

Sale hit the ground running at Fenway Park, tying Pedro Martinez’s record for striking out 10+ in eight consecutive starts. It didn’t take long before he became a fan favorite among those in the Green Monster.

But Sale has been far from efficient over the past couple of years. Multiple major injuries have forced him to watch on street clothes and he’s been barely able to be on the mound. Now, he finally opened up about what it’s been like for him.

Chris Sale Apologizes To Red Sox Fans, Says He’s Only Given Them One Good Year

“This is three springs in a row I’m not even a baseball player,” Sale told Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. “I’m in a f****d up situation. There’s just no way around that. I’m hurt. And I’m supposed to not be hurt. I’m supposed to be a very big contributing factor to this team.”

“I’ve not done my job for some freakin’ time now,” Sale continued.“Think about it. I had one full year in ‘17. Good year. Three quarters of a year in ‘18, won the World Series — we’ll call that one a great year. In ‘19, had the worst year of my career, ended up getting hurt. In ‘20, COVID, Tommy John, and In ‘21, Tommy John, pitched for a quarter of the year and the playoffs. Serviceable at best, I’ll call that. And then now. So I’ve been here for six years, I’ve given these people one full f***ingyear. You kidding me? I wouldn’t like me, either.”

Sale claims that he wasn’t in a great place mentally when he underwent surgery. Now, while he’s frustrated by missing even more time, he’s trying to take a ‘bigger-picture’ approach to be the best teammate he can be:

“(Negativity) crushed me through the Tommy John stuff,” Sale admitted. “That was bad. I was not in a good spot there. This is not close to that. But it’s still eerily the same feeling that I’m not pulling my weight. But, could be worse. I know that’s something that sounds like a copout from fans looking at me, but it’s the truth. That’s what I have to hold onto right now.”

“Because if I think that I’m in the worst position in the world, I’m going to get in that mindset, I’m going to be a bad teammate, I’m going to feel sorry for myself, I’m not going to get the work done, so on and so forth,” he concluded.

There’s no denying that Sale is one of the most dominant hurlers out there when he’s on the mound, so he’s definitely worth the patience. Hopefully, this will be the year he finally puts those injury woes behind him.