Report: Chris Sale Takes Promising Step Toward Return to Braves

Chris Sale is showing positive signs in his rehab from fractured ribs. According to MLB.com's Mark Bowman, Sale was seen playing catch on Tuesday. It's a small update, but it shows he's comfortable enough to start going through the motions to ramp back up.

Sale is eligible to be activated Aug. 19, exactly 60 days after he went on retroactively went on the injured list.

His return will be a sigh of relief for a Braves rotation dealing with multiple long-term injuries, and he'll be back with plenty of time to make an impact on the team. There will be nearly six weeks left in the season, giving him a chance to get another seven or so starts under his belt before the end of the season.

The injury didn't stop him from participating in the All-Star Game festivties on Tuesday. He was named an All-Star Sunday, July 6, when the first round of All-Stars not voted into the starting lineup were announced. At this point, he had been on the injured list for two weeks, but his dominant run leading up to the injury landed him his ninth All-Star appearance.

Sale was initially placed on the 15-day injured list due a a fractured left rib cage. It came in the ninth inning of his most recent start when pushing for a complete-game shutout. He made a diving play to snag a chopper from Juan Soto and get the first out of the inning.

He had been a force over his last 10 starts. He's had a 1.23 ERA with 1.00 WHIP and 82 strikeouts in 66 innings over that span. He lowered his season ERA from 6.17 to 2.52 in that span. If not for the injury, hus All-Star worthy season likely would have had him in the conversation for another Cy Young Award.

The veteran lefty won the first of his career last season to cap off his comeback. He had received votes seven other times during his All-Star years with the White Sox, but was only a finalist twice in that time.

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