The Boston Globe - 20.08.2019

Sox to shut down ace for

6 weeks, then reevaluate

Ben Volin

ON FOOTBALL

Sports

THE BOSTON GLOBE TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2019 | BOSTONGLOBE.COM/SPORTS

D

TVHIGHLIGHTS

Baseball: Angels-Rangers, 2 p.m., MLB
Baseball: Phillies-Red Sox, 7:10 p.m., NESN
Baseball: Yankees-Athletics, 10:07 p.m., ESPN
Listings,D6

Boost to receiving corps

INSIDE Edelman practices in pads for first time in camp.D2

JIM DAVIS/GLOBE STAFF

Wide receiver Josh Gordon takes in his first practice of the summer with the Patriots with some stretching, although he was not wearing a helmet or pads.

Familiar feelings

2019 Sox reminiscent of others that came up short.D4

Spring swings

Red Sox announce their 2020 spring training schedule.D5

Ascampnearsend,here’showthePatriots’rosterisshapingup

FOXBOROUGH — Patriots training

camp is quickly approaching the end. The

Patriots have a game Thursday night

against Carolina, then next Thursday

against the Giants, and that’s it — on to the

regular season.

For the 40 or so players on the roster

bubble, it’s now-or-never time. But there

was no need for Bill Belichick to tell his

players Monday that their opportunities to

impress the coaches are running short.

“I think everybody’s well aware of that,”

Belichick said. “Unless they’re living under

a rock somewhere.”

Belichick probably has a good idea at

this point whom he wants to keep on his

roster. But the tight end position is very

much unsettled, there is an interesting co-

nundrum at quarterback, and injuries in

the final two preseason games could change

some plans.

There’s also the reality that the Patriots

usually pick up two or three players from

other teams right around roster cuts. And

Belichick knows how to stash a few extra

players; we have him keeping a total of 57

guys for the 53-man roster.

Let’s project what the Week 1 roster will

look like (*denotes practice squad eligible):

OFFENSE(24players)

RQuarterback(2): Tom Brady, Jarrett

Stidham.

Missingthecut: Brian Hoyer.

Analysis: The Patriots easily could keep

three, but I’m seeing less of a need for Hoy-

ONFOOTBALL,PageD3

Saledoesnotneedsurgery

By Peter Abraham
GLOBE STAFF
The Red Sox do not expect Chris
Sale to pitch again this season. But,
for now, the lefthander does not need
Tommy John elbow surgery accord-
ing to Dr. James Andrews.
Andrews instead gave Sale an in-
jection of platelet-rich plasma and
recommended a six-week shutdown
from pitching before he is evaluated
again.
Sale was at Andrews’s clinic in
Gulf Breeze, Fla., on Monday for an

examination following an MRI taken

last week that showed inflammation

and possible damage to his ulnar col-

lateral ligament.

A brief statement from the Red

Sox quoted president of baseball op-

erations Dave Dombrowski saying

Andrews confirmed the diagnosis of

inflammation.

Sale will be able to try throwing

again during the six weeks. But with

the regular season ending on Sept.

29, Sale is essentially done and would

not have time to build up should the

Sox make the playoffs.

Given the lengthy time needed to

recover from Tommy John surgery,

the Sox have little to lose and every-

thing to gain by waiting to see if the

cause of the inflammation heals.

It’s similar to the situation that oc-

curred with David Price in 2017.

Price injured his elbow in spring

training that season and traveled to

the NFL Combine in Indianapolis to

meet with Andrews and was told he

didn’t need surgery.

Price returned on May 29 and ap-

peared in 16 games that season, 11 as

a starter.

The news offered at least some re-

lief for the Red Sox after what was a

tense weekend off the field at Fenway

Park.

Dombrowski and manager Alex

REDSOX,PageD5

FILE/JIM DAVIS/GLOBE STAFF

Chris Sale is scheduled to be reevaluated in six weeks, which could very

well mean that he doesn’t pitch again this season for the Red Sox.

Kick-start

Christopher L. Gasper

Rootforreceiver,

butdon’trelyonhim

It’s amazing how 7 pounds of sterling sil-
ver can create amnesia and amnesty. All
has been forgiven and forgotten when it
comes to in-recovery wide receiver Josh
Gordon, who was conditionally reinstated
from his fifth substance abuse-related sus-
pension by the NFL on Friday and
glimpsed on Monday at Gillette Stadium.
Gordon left the Patriots in the lurch last
season, getting suspended with two games left in the regu-
lar season, but that’s pardoned because the Patriots went
on to lift the Lombardi Trophy for the sixth time.
Let’s getthis out of the way. On a human level, you root
for Gordon. We all do. That includes NFL commissioner
Roger Goodell, who keeps dispensing chances to Gordon
like free samples at the supermarket. You don’t write him
off. He needs and deserves help combating his well-docu-
GASPER,PageD2

Gordonreturnsand

Patriotssupporthim

By Jim McBride

GLOBE STAFF

FOXBOROUGH – Josh Gordon didn’t talk to the media

on Monday afternoon. He was, however, the talk of the Pa-

triots locker room.

The receiver became a return man, joining his team-

mates at Gillette Stadium and attending practice for the

first time since he was reinstated by NFL commissioner

Roger Goodell last Friday.

When Gordon arrived last season via trade from the

Browns, he quickly fit in at his new home and became a

popular person in the locker room. His teammates support-

ed him during his 11-game run and even after he was indef-

initely suspended in December, often posting messages of

encouragement to Gordon via social media.

It was clear Monday that that support is still strong.

“We all love Josh, I love Josh,’’ fellow receiver Phillip

Dorsett said before practice. “I’m just glad to have him

back. He looks good. When you haven’t seen one of your

brothers in a long time, and then you see him, it’s definitely

PATRIOTS,PageD2

JIM DAVIS/GLOBE STAFF

Josh Gordon (left) gets a little separation from coach Bill Belichick, who

is preparing his team for Thursday’s preseason game vs. the Panthers.