Just when the Atlanta Braves seemed to be turning their season around, they once again stubbed their toe at the most inopportune time. This isn't even regarding the disappointing series opening loss to a bad Miami Marlins team. In fact, it is significantly worse than that as the ace of their rotation, Chris Sale, just landed on the 15 day injured list.
There was a certain amount of confusion as to why the Braves called up Didier Fuentes when they did yesterday. He performed fine against Miami and the stuff looked good, but it was still a pretty rushed-feeling promotion when it happened.
Now, we have some clarity as to what was going on in the Braves' minds. The club unexpectedly announced Sale is being placed on the 15-day IL with a fractured left ribcage. Atlanta recalled LHP Austin Cox to take his place.
The #Braves today recalled LHP Austin Cox to Atlanta and placed LHP Chris Sale on the 15-day injured list, backdated to June 19, with a fractured left ribcage.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 21, 2025
Braves dealt massive blow as Chris Sale lands on injured list
Speculation about how Sale got this ribcage injury immediately pointed to the diving stop he made in the ninth inning during his latest gem against the Mets. This makes the Fuentes promotion a lot more understandable since Atlanta knew Sale could land on the IL soon or, at minimum, they knew that Sale wasn't feeling great after that play.
Sale had been absolutely dealing since his early season hiccup. After 15 starts on the season, Sale is sporting a 2.52 ERA, 2.65 FIP, and has 114 strikeouts in just over 89 innings. That is certainly stuff that could lead him toward being in NL Cy Young contention once again. Hopefully, this injury isn't anything that lingers and the Braves can get their staff ace back in the very near future.
However, if Sale IS out for a while, it is a significant blow to the Braves' chances of turning their season around. Losing a Cy Young-caliber pitcher would be bad enough under the best of circumstances. With Atlanta hanging on for dear life in 2025, it may be the straw that breaks the camel's back.