The 2022 Boston Red Sox have been far from stable, with nearly their entire starting rotation on the Injured List. Their depth was tested from the get-go, with Garrett Whitlock thrust into a starting capacity when Tanner Houck was still in the starting rotation. Despite the team utilizing nearly every Triple-A starter they had, the team has remained afloat in the wild card race. The return of Chris Sale on Tuesday was a sign that when the Red Sox rotation returns, the team will mean business.

Sale was always the headliner to the Red Sox rotation. The team has a solid core of MLB pitchers with Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Wacha at the top, but the most enticing element of the starting rotation was the dominant Sale, coming back from a stress fracture in his right rib cage. Sale’s return to Boston was one of the most captivating storylines entering the year, with Sale mowing down hitters in October still the goal.

Sale’s return to MLB did not exactly light up the stat sheet in terms of strikeouts. Via Baseball-Reference, Sale gave up three hits, allowed one walk, and struck out five hitters. The outing itself does not echo who Sale was in the past but is a sign of how he can improve, focusing more on getting hitters out and allowing soft contact rather than on strikeouts. It was a great sign to see the Sox southpaw compete against a capable Tampa Bay lineup. If Sale can pitch deeper into games, the team’s bullpen weaknesses will not be as evident.

Sale’s presence, demeanor, and edge are needed in the Red Sox rotation, especially when looking to the trade deadline for other areas of the team that need to see improvement. With Sale as a productive pitcher—and hopefully, Tuesday’s outing was an indicator of his season-long performance—the Red Sox are on their way to finding the path to a successful rest of the season.

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