PORTLAND, Maine — Red Sox ace pitcher Chris Sale is pitching a rehab start Tuesday night with the Portland Sea Dogs at Hadlock Field.
Sale is recovering from Tommy John surgery, and threw a rehab session from the mound at Hadlock in late June. Since then, he pitched a rehab session from "Fenway South," at JetBlue Park in Florida, and the team reported he felt healthy and pitched well.
The Red Sox have not yet announced what restrictions he might be under, such as a pitch count, but Sea Dogs staff expect to learn that information prior to Sale's start.
Fans are eager to see the ace take the mound Tuesday. In a Facebook post Tuesday, the Sea Dogs said the game is sold out.
The Sea Dogs are on a 13-game winning streak and are excited to have Sale in Portland.
"There's a buzz around the stadium, which is great," Sea Dogs Communications Director Chris Cameron said. "The fans are excited. It'll probably be our first completely sold-out game of the season, so it'll be a really fun way to welcome fans back in a full capacity here—Chris Sale throwing the gas on the mound. It'll be a fun time."
Cameron compares Sale's appearance to when former Red Sox slugger and Hall of Famer David Ortiz played a rehab stint with the Sea Dogs in 2008.
"Three of the craziest days we've ever had here," Cameron said.
Cameron said it is unclear how many starts Sale will make in Portland. He said the Red Sox will evaluate Sale's progress after Tuesday's performance.