MIAMI — Braves ace and reigning NL Cy Young winner was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a fractured left rib cage, an injury sustained during his start on Wednesday.
“It happened late in the ninth when he dove off the mound to make a play — a fantastic effort,” Braves manager Brian Snitker explained prior to Saturday’s game against the Marlins at loanDepot Park.
Snitker added that Sale experienced discomfort while working out the following day. “He was doing some exercises yesterday and felt like something was off, so we had it checked. The scans revealed the fracture. It’s just one of those freak injuries,” Snitker said. “I saw him doing his postgame routine after the start, and again the next day. He felt a little sore, but nothing major. It was really yesterday when he decided it needed further evaluation.”
There’s no set timeline for Sale’s return. “With bone injuries like this, it just has to heal before anything can move forward,” Snitker noted. “I really don’t know how long that’ll take.”
The Braves backdated Sale’s IL stint to Thursday and called up left-hander Austin Cox from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
Sale had been in top form, particularly in his most recent outing — a dominant performance against the Mets where he threw 116 pitches over 8 2/3 scoreless innings. He holds a 4–3 record with a 2.77 ERA and has gone 2–1 in June with an outstanding 0.83 ERA over 21 2/3 innings.
Meanwhile, 20-year-old Didier Fuentes made his MLB debut Friday night in a 6–2 loss to the Marlins after being promoted from Triple-A Gwinnett earlier in the day. Fuentes became the youngest MLB starter since Julio Urías in 2019 and the youngest pitcher to appear for Atlanta since 1970. The Braves’ No. 10 prospect gave up four runs on six hits over five innings and recorded three strikeouts.
Snitker praised the rookie’s poise: “We’ll go with the five guys we have for now. It was good for him to get that first one under his belt. I was really impressed with his presence and composure. He looked like he belonged.”
“Between innings, there was no sign of panic. His makeup is impressive and his stuff is legit. He’s got a very bright future.”
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