Chris Sale lands on injured list, will miss next start against Mets

The New York Mets will miss Chris Sale next week after the Atlanta Braves' ace fractured a rib against them on Wednesday.

Jun 18, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale (51) throws out New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) during the ninth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The New York Mets have had a rough go of it lately, dropping seven straight games as everything that seemingly can go wrong has gone wrong in a week.

Part of the issue has been seeing a struggling offense deal with a bunch of elite pitching in a short span, which makes the latest injury news out of Atlanta a rare break that has gone the Mets' way.

The #Braves today recalled LHP Austin Cox to Atlanta and placed LHP Chris Sale on the 15-day injured list, backdated to June 19, with a fractured left ribcage.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 21, 2025

The Atlanta Braves had recently altered their rotation to ensure that their top three pitchers (Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach and Spencer Strider) would face the Mets in six of their seven meetings over this 10-day stretch. Sale dominated the Mets in his start on Wednesday, working 8.2 shutout innings to earn his fifth win of the season, but he may have fractured his rib diving to make a play on a Juan Soto chopper in the ninth.

CHRIS SALE GOES ALL OUT! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/NGEAjZLPEO

— MLB (@MLB) June 19, 2025

There was no immediate timetable for how long Sale will be out, but the most important thing for the Mets is that he will no longer face them at Citi Field on Tuesday. For an offense that has hit the skids and seen a run of strong starting pitching face them, catching a small break like this could be very important to helping them snap out of their doldrums.

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Schwellenbach and Strider are still slated to face the Mets in New York this week, but the Braves will have to find a replacement for Sale on Tuesday and use Grant Holmes on his regular turn on Thursday. The series is still going to be challenging for the Mets here as they navigate this stretch without an off day, but not seeing Sale could be a sign that their bad luck will start to turn.