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• Braves' Chris Sale: Atlanta picks up $18 million option

  11/05/2025 • By RotoWire

  Atlanta exercised Sale's $18 million option for 2026 on Wednesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports. The decision was fait accompli, as Sale has re-emerged as one of the best pitchers in baseball since joining Atlanta, collecting a 2.46 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 390:71 K:BB over 303.1 innings since the beginning of the 2024 campaign. Sale missed more than two months of action this season with a left ribcage fracture, but he finished the year healthy and was superb after returning from the injury with a 2.72 ERA and 51:6 K:BB over his final 36.1 frames. The veteran lefty will turn 37 just after Opening Day next season.

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• Braves' Chris Sale: Sharp in bulk relief

  09/28/2025 • By RotoWire

  Sale (7-5) allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out nine over 5.2 innings to earn the win over the Pirates on Sunday. Charlie Morton got his Atlanta curtain call with 1.1 scoreless innings to open the game before Sale took over. Sale was pitching with a lead the entire time, and the lone run he allowed was on a Joey Bart single in the sixth inning. Sale gave up just 11 runs over 36.1 innings across six appearances after returning from a fractured ribcage. For the season, the southpaw ended up with a 2.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 165:32 K:BB through 125.2 innings across 21 appearances (20 starts), showing that he can still pitch at an elite level at age 36. Atlanta has an $18 million team option to keep Sale around for the 2026 season if it so chooses.

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• Braves' Chris Sale: Will pitch in bulk relief Sunday

  09/25/2025 • By RotoWire

  Sale will be used as a bulk reliever in Sunday's game against the Pirates, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. Atlanta will use Charlie Morton as an opener in his final career appearance before Sale takes over. It will be the first relief outing for Sale since he closed out the 2018 World Series as a member of the Red Sox. While it will be unconventional usage for the lefty, Sale will have a better chance to pick up a win as a bulk reliever, and he should be available for a typical starter's workload.

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• Braves' Chris Sale: Allows five runs in sixth win

  09/23/2025 • By RotoWire

  Sale (6-5) earned the win Monday, allowing five runs on three hits and two walks over five innings in a 11-5 win over Washington. He struck out six. Sale wasn't at his best Monday, giving up five runs for the first time since April 8. Despite missing time midseason with a fractured ribcage, the 36-year-old has generally been excellent when healthy, posting a 2.63 ERA and 1.07 WHIP across 20 starts and 120 innings. He's currently lined up to pitch Atlanta's season finale Sunday, though the team could decide Monday's outing was the lanky left-hander's last of 2025 and turn to another arm.

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• Braves' Chris Sale: Dominates in no-decision

  09/17/2025 • By RotoWire

  Sale came away with a no-decision in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Nationals, scattering three hits over eight scoreless innings. He struck out nine without walking a batter. The ace southpaw racked up 32 called or swinging strikes over 106 pitches (71 total strikes) in a dominant performance, but MacKenzie Gore and the Washington bullpen matched Sale goose egg for goose egg, until Atlanta finally broke through for five runs in the 10th inning. Sale has fanned exactly nine batters in four straight starts since returning from a rib injury, posting a 1.75 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 36:2 K:BB through 25.2 innings. He'll look to finish out the season in style with a potential two-step, beginning early next week with a home rematch against the Nats.

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