The Atlanta Braves’ postseason dreams took a gut punch with the injury to Chris Sale, their most reliable pitcher to date this season. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal has already assessed the situation as a potentially dire one for Atlanta’s postseason hopes.
How Did Chris Sale Get Injured?
The Braves have not made an official statement regarding how Sale suffered his injury. However, it appears it most likely occurred when he dove for a groundball off the bat of Juan Soto in the ninth inning during his start against the Mets on June 18.
There’s a good chance that Chris Sale ended up fracturing his rib on this impressive play. Terrible. Guy was having a great season once again.
— Courtney Finnicum (@courtney883) June 21, 2025
The Braves’ ace has been placed on a 15-day injured list with a fractured left ribcage and is expected to miss at least a few months of action. With Sale out, the Braves face a massive gap and need reinforcements for their starting rotation.
There is pressure on GM Alex Anthopoulos to find solutions before the trade deadline. The team’s depth was already stretched thin, but the loss of their ace means their urgency is likely to shift to finding reinforcements for their pitching staff.
Could Atlanta Braves Become Sellers During Trade Deadline?
Anthopoulos is not known for being a general manager who sells at the deadline, and Rosenthal doesn’t expect that to change either, even with Sale sidelined. Rosenthal warned about a difficult time ahead for the Braves without their lead pitcher.
“It’s difficult to imagine them being a playoff team without Sale for a while, however long it’s going to be,” Rosenthal said on the Foul Territory. “So I don’t know exactly how this is going to go for them.
“Alex Anthopoulos has not generally sold. I don’t expect him to sell. He already had announced before the Sale injury. Now the point is moot, that he wasn’t trading Chris Sale. There’ll be a question about whether he would trade Sean Murphy, the catcher. Murphy’s on a good contract. It’s not kind of how the Braves roll. They like having two everyday-type catchers, Drake Baldwin, the rookie, of course, being the other right now.
“So the Braves are in a funny spot. Can they compete and get back into a competitive position? Ozzie Albies has been terrible. Michael Harris II, terrible offensively with both guys. They could sell Ozuna at the deadline if they want and get something for him,” he wondered.
It’s difficult to imagine the Braves being a playoff team without Chris Sale, says @Ken_Rosenthal.
“Right now, it’s not happening for them.” pic.twitter.com/pZ1ZJWzucB
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) June 23, 2025
Rosenthal suggested that the Braves are far from the dominant team fans have come to expect, making them one of the most fascinating clubs to watch right now. With a crucial trip to Citi Field against the NL East rival Mets coming up, he noted that Atlanta needs wins to climb back to .500 and regain some momentum.
The Braves will hope to replicate the three-game sweep they pulled off against New York earlier this month in Atlanta. However, as Rosenthal noted, the Braves were already underachieving before Sale’s injury, so his absence only serves to leave their playoff hopes even more in the balance.