Chris Sale is feeling pretty strong, apparently.
The Boston Red Sox ace, who's had two separate stints on the disabled list over the past month due to shoulder inflammation, will play catch Monday for the first time since his latest shutdown. It's safe to say his shoulder feels good heading into the training session.
"Like Paul Bunyan's ox," Sale told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
Sale was originally sent to the DL on July 28. After returning for one start, a dominant outing versus the Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 12, the 29-year-old hit the shelf again three days later and hasn't thrown since.
Since Sale's been out, the Red Sox have hit their first rut of the 2018 campaign, going 5-7 over a 12-game stretch which featured their first sweep of the season at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Last week, Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski said Sale will be 'plenty ready for late September,' and if his club didn't own a stranglehold in the AL East like it currently does, he'd be making his return to the mound sooner.
In 23 starts this season, Sale owns a 12-4 record with a 1.97 ERA.
