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March 19 (UPI) -- Boston Red Sox star pitcher Chris Sale will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire 2020 season. Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom announced Sale's decision to undergo the procedure on his left elbow in a statement released Thursday. According to ESPN, Sale opted to have the operation now out of fear that delaying it could cause him to miss a significant amount of time in the 2021 season.
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With the start of the 2020 MLB season delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the possibility of a considerable number of games being canceled reinforced Sale's decision, according to ESPN. Recovery from Tommy John surgery typically takes 12-14 months, putting Sale on track to return in early 2021.
Sale, 30, was entering the first year of a five-year, $145 million contract that he signed last spring. The left-handed pitcher was shut down last August because of elbow soreness after a disappointing 2019 campaign.
In 25 starts, Sale posted a 6-11 record an 4.40 ERA. After an off-season of rest, he returned to the mound in spring training but experienced another round of elbow issues March 1 and was sidelined again.
Sale, who was traded to the Red Sox before the 2017 season, has a 109-73 record with a 3.03 ERA and 2,007 strikeouts in 312 career appearances, including 232 starts, with the Chicago White Sox and Red Sox. The seven-time All-Star won a World Series championship with Boston in 2018.
