Braves to Activate Chris Sale From Injured List After Long Absence

The Braves may be out of contention after a rough season, but on Saturday they will get a much-needed morale boost.

Atlanta is activating pitcher Chris Sale from the injured list and he will start Saturday against the Phillies, the team announced. In a corresponding move, pitcher Nathan Wiles has been optioned to the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers.

Sale, 36, is 5-4 this year with a 2.52 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 89 1/3 innings pitched. He has not pitched since nearly throwing a complete game on June 18 against the Mets; during that game, he suffered a rib injury making a play in the field.

In 2024, defying years of injury and stagnation, Sale dramatically returned to his 2010s form. En route to the NL Cy Young Award—an accolade that eluded him with the White Sox and Red Sox—he went 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts.

The Braves currently sit fourth in the NL East, 17 games behind first-place Philadelphia.