ESPN MLB Insider Speaks on Boston Red Sox Plans With Chris Sale Moving Forward

On Wednesday, we heard that Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale is tracking towards starting a rehab assignment on Tuesday. We also heard that Sale may not require anymore rehab appearances before returning to Boston's roster.

For a player that has dealt with extensive injuries over the last few years, not going through a typical rehab assignment has raised some eyebrows.

Speaking on 'The Brady Farkas Show' on Thursday, ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney discussed his thoughts on Sale's situation:

"(The thoughts are) that they have nothing to lose, and I think that's where Chris Sale landed. We talked earlier this year that when he decided at somepoint to go max-effort with his delivery, that there was risk in that... From what I understand, as he comes back, the intention is that he's going to go back to max-effort delivery. I think from the Red Sox perspective, there's a certain amount of ammunition in his left arm before he inevitably, probably breaks down at some point and they're just going to pitch him until that happens."

For the season, he's 5-2 with a 4.58 ERA. He's struck out 71 batters in 59 innings and had really gotten in a groove prior to hitting the injured list.

For his career, he's a seven-time All-Star selection who helped the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series.

The Red Sox are 1.5 games back of the final wild card spot in the American League. They'll open a weekend series with the San Francisco Giants on Friday night.

Follow Fastball on FanNation in social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also subscribe to "The Payoff Pitch" podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.