Why Braves All-Star Chris Sale missed Monday’s game against the Diamondbacks

Chris Sale is back to being one of the best starting pitchers in MLB in his first season with the Atlanta Braves. Sale actually made the All-Star Game roster thanks in large part to his 2.71 ERA in 16 starts (99.2 innings pitched). However, the Braves’ decision to remove Sale from his scheduled start on Monday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks, a game Atlanta won 5-4, caused some consternation. After all, Sale has been very injury-prone over the past few seasons, and missing a start rarely bodes well for anyone.

The good news is that Braves fans don’t have much reason to worry. He won’t miss any significant playing time, as he will start for the Braves in Game 2 of the series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night. His start was simply pushed back in favor of the return of former All-Star Bryce Elder from Triple-A, as the focus is on keeping the starters “fresh” as they head into the All-Star break.

“We decided to bring in Bryce to give all the guys an extra day before the break,” Snitker said, according to ESPN.

Following the Braves’ decision to remove Chris Sale from his scheduled start on Monday, Snitker said Sale will return to his usual rest cycle. That means Sale will start on Sunday in a thrilling matchup between the Braves and the San Diego Padres. Since Sunday is two days away from the All-Star Game, that start rules Sale out of a possible start in the exhibition game, according to ESPN.

Sale hasn’t pitched more than 102.2 innings since 2019. Five years is an eternity in professional sports, so it’s imperative for the Braves to do everything they can to keep the 35-year-old left-hander as healthy as possible as they enter the crucial stretch of the season.

For the Braves, the most important thing is to keep Chris Sale healthy

The Braves acquired Chris Sale cheaply this past offseason after a rough, injury-plagued past four seasons with the Boston Red Sox. Sale started 20 games last season and it was clear he still has a ton of strikeout stuff, but it’s unclear how much he has left in the tank after suffering injury after injury since 2020.

In 2020, Sale underwent Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for most of the 2021 season. In 2022, the veteran suffered a broken rib, a broken pinky finger and then a broken wrist — which only underscores his bad luck. And then Sale landed on the 60-day injured list last season after inflammation in his shoulder required further medical attention.

Atlanta got Sale for the low price of infielder Vaughn Grissom, who continues to struggle for the Red Sox. Sale is now as healthy as he has been in years. He has an 11-3 record heading into Tuesday’s start against the Diamondbacks and has earned his 2.71 ERA thanks to his excellent strikeout-to-walk ratio (127 to 19) and his excellent ability to keep the ball in the field (just 0.63 home runs allowed per nine innings).

Bryce Elder returns from his Triple-A stay

Bryce Elder had a successful second season with the Braves in 2023; in 31 starts (174.2 innings), the then 24-year-old achieved a fairly solid ERA of 3.81. Thanks to his outstanding start to the season, he even made it to the All-Star game.

Before the 2023 All-Star break, Elder had a 2.97 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 18 starts (106.0 innings pitched). He was never a big strikeout guy, especially when his fastball velocity is around 90. But he did his job by limiting hard contact.

After the All-Star break, however, Bryce Elder struggled, posting a 5.11 ERA in 13 starts (68.2 innings). He was hit hard more often than not, and that continued in his only playoff start. In Game 3 of the NLDS, the Philadelphia Phillies outclassed Elder, allowing six earned runs in just 2.2 innings, with Elder allowing two home runs. The Braves lost that game 10-2, and the Phillies eventually sent them home in Game 4.

Those problems haven’t left Elder at all in 2024. After a promising start in his first game of the season, where he allowed zero runs in 6.2 innings against the helpless Miami Marlins, Elder hasn’t allowed fewer than two runs in a single game this season. The Braves sent him down to Triple-A so he could improve his pitching, and when he returned, he was at least better.

On Monday, Elder allowed three earned runs in five innings on the mound and the Braves eventually won 5-4 thanks to some heroics in extra innings.