Sale won't be ready for Opening Day

The Boston Red Sox will be without left-hander Chris Sale when their regular season opens March 26 in Toronto, manager Ron Roenicke said Thursday, according to The Boston Globe's Alex Speier.

Roenicke added that Sale is about two weeks behind schedule after battling pneumonia, according to Tom Keegan of the Boston Herald.

The skipper said Sale is doing great with the buildup of his left arm now that he's healthy. The 30-year-old was shut down last August due to elbow issues.

Sale called starting the season on the injured list "a gut punch," according to NESN's Guerin Austin, but admitted: "The only thing that hurts is my ego. Do I like it? Absolutely not. Do I respect it? 100 percent."

The Red Sox may consider using an opener for two spots in their rotation while Sale is on the injured list, Roenicke said, according to Speier. The team is also interested in seeing if a candidate for a starting spot emerges during spring training.

With Sale unavailable, Eduardo Rodriguez and Nathan Eovaldi look like Boston's best options to start Opening Day.

In 2019, Sale made 25 starts for the Red Sox, authoring a 4.40 ERA with 218 strikeouts in 147 1/3 innings.