Chris Sale heads to the 10-day DL with mild left shoulder inflammation

Just two days before their biggest series of the season to date, the Red Sox were forced to place Chris Sale, their best pitcher, on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday, retroactive to last Saturday, with what the team termed "mild left shoulder inflammation.''

The move was a surprise one, as Sale alerted the training staff earlier Tuesday that he was experiencing some inflammation in the left shoulder joint, with what he termed "post-start stuff. Nothing was really affecting me. I just didn't bounce back the way I usually do.''

Sale's last start came last Friday at Fenway when he threw six shutout innings against Minnesota, allowing just three hits while striking out 10.

Despite the DL move, Sale insisted this was a minor and temporary setback.

"If this was something more serious, I would tell you,'' he said. "We're not hiding anything. This is nothing we're worried about; this is a 'concern' at most. It's just a little soreness in your pitching arm -- take some Advil, get it rubbed down and (be) ready to go.''

With Sale unavailable for Thursday's start -- the first game of a four-game weekend showdown series with the second-place Yankees -- Brian Johnson, who had been displaced from the rotation after the arrival of Nathan Eovaldi, will start instead. To take Sale's spot on the roster, the Red Sox recalled Brandon Workman, who was optioned to Pawtucket last week.

Meanwhile, Sale continued to downplay the seriousness of the setback.

"I feel like if we were in a different position,'' he said "and push came to shove and they needed me to go out there, I would be able to make this next start; I would be pitching in two days. Given we have a few months left in the season and fortunately for us, we're a very deep team. We trust everybody here and they thought it would be best for Brian to step in and make that start.

"I knew that this was probably the right decision. Is it one I wanted to make? Absolutely not. I pride myself on pitching every fifth day and being able to answer that phone when it (rings). It really bothers me not being able to do that. But that being said, I respect and trust everybody in this organization and what they bring to the table. When you have a manager and pitching coach and training staff saying, 'This is probably the right thing to do,' I have enough trust and respect in them to know that that's the right call.

"I was pretty upset when the final decision was made. At the end of the day, though, I have to do what's best for the team and myself. I don't think me going out at (less than) 100 percent is going to help us. If I did go out and possibly risk something more severe, that wouldn't do any good either. So, like I said, it's a pretty crappy situation to be in. I' a pitcher that pitches and I didn't like sitting on the sideline, watching someone else do my job for me. But it happens. You deal with it, keep your chin up, keep grinding, keep working and I'll be back out there, hopefully, in Toronto.''

Sale would be eligible to come off the DL on Tuesday, Aug. 7 when the Sox begin a three-city road trip in Toronto.

BSJ ANALYSIS
In the long run, this doesn't appear to be terribly alarming.

If the Sox had to lose Sale for a brief period -- the Yankees' series aside -- this isn't a bad time for it to happen. The team is off Wednesday and again Monday after the Yankees leave town, allowing for some flexibility with the rotation and rest for an overtaxed bullpen that could be stretched thin by the Yankees' lineup.

And even with two other starters still sidelined -- Eduardo Rodriguez (ankle) and Steven Wright (knee) remain on the disabled list -- the Sox have sufficient depth, with the addition of Eovaldi, to get by in the short-term.

That said, it's more than a little troubling that, despite a pitching program designed specifically to ensure that their starters are stronger, not weaker down the stretch, Sale finds himself physically ailing two-thirds of the way through the 162-game schedule.

"There's a lot of work that went into keeping me fresh and it's frustrating to not be able to go out there,'' Sale acknowledged. "But like I said, these are things that happen in this game, unfortunately, and you have to deal with it. You've got to face it sometimes. I'm going to keep my chin, keep working and I'll be back out there."