Braves place Sale on IL with fractured ribcage

The Atlanta Braves placed reigning NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale on the 15-day injured list with a fractured left ribcage Saturday.

Left-hander Austin Cox was recalled in a corresponding move.

Sale got hurt when he made an incredible diving play to throw out Juan Soto at first base in the ninth inning of Wednesday's game, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. He pitched to another two batters after this play before being lifted after throwing 8 2/3 shutout innings in a 5-0 Braves win.

Manager Brian Snitker said Saturday that Sale was initially fine after Wednesday's start, but began feeling something was wrong over the next two days. Tests taken Friday revealed the fracture.

"It's a freak thing. Unfortunate thing," Snitker said, according to Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I saw him after the game that night and he was doing his postgame workout and everything. I saw him the next day and I think he felt a little uncomfortable, but then Friday was when we wanted to get it checked out.

"It's a tough blow for us and him. He was throwing so well. That's a rough one."

There's currently no timeline for Sale's return, as the team is waiting for his symptoms to subside, according to David O'Brien of The Athletic.

The injury comes as Sale was rediscovering his form after a slow start to the season. The 36-year-old owns a 2.52 ERA, 2.65 FIP, and 1.16 WHIP with 114 strikeouts over 15 starts. His 11.5 K/9 rate ranks third in the NL. Sale also boasts an MLB-best 1.41 ERA since April 19 and has allowed one or fewer earned runs in his last six starts.

It's yet another blow to a Braves pitching staff that's been riddled with injuries all season. Rookie starter AJ Smith-Shawver underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this month, while Reynaldo López has made just one start this year due to a shoulder issue. Co-ace Spencer Strider finally returned from elbow surgery but has made only seven starts due to a hamstring injury.

Going forward, Sale's rotation spot will be filled by rookie Didier Fuentes, Atlanta's No. 7 prospect by Baseball America. The 20-year-old made his major-league debut on Friday against the Marlins, in what was supposed to be a spot start.

Atlanta is trying to push its way back into the playoff race after opening the season with seven consecutive losses. Despite some better play of late, the team enters Saturday six games below .500 and six games out of a wild-card spot.

Cox, who takes Sale's spot on the active roster, has made 24 big-league appearances, all with the Royals in 2023. He posted a 4.85 ERA in 11 relief appearances with Triple-A Gwinnett after joining Atlanta's organization in May.