Assistant general manager Brian O'Halloran said Monday that he expects Sale (elbow) to be back to full health when the Red Sox open spring training in February, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
Boston has been pleased with the progress Sale has made in his recovery since being shut down for the season in mid-August with left elbow inflammation, an injury that he treated with a platelet-rich plasma injection rather than any sort of surgical procedure. Sale was initially in line to be re-examined by Dr. James Andrews in late September or early October, but O'Halloran noted that the southpaw has yet to make a follow-up appointment, per Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican. Though Sale may book a checkup with Dr. Andrews at some point later in the fall or winter, it's not expected that the meeting will have any bearing on his availability for the spring.