The White Sox scratched ace from start just before game against Detroit Tigers on Saturday. The All-Star was sent home after a non-physical incident in the White Sox clubhouse.
Chris Sale has built a reputation of having arguments with the White Sox front office in the past. However, this might have been the biggest alleged argument between Sale and the White Sox as the All-Star pitcher was sent home before his scheduled start on Saturday.
Amid increasing trade speculation, the White Sox decision to scratch Sale before his start was met with skepticism from fans about his current status with the team. While the White Sox would later quell that skepticism by releasing a statement that raised many more questions.
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In the statement, White Sox general manager stated Sale was scratched from the game due to a non-physical incident in the clubhouse. The incident was under investigation by the White Sox according to the statement. Reading this wasn’t pleasant and I immediately assumed Sale had a heated argument with members of the front office. I was proven right later in the evening thanks to an update from Jerry Crasnick.
The Chris Sale incident with #whitesox was with front/office staff, source says. No problems with any teammates.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) July 23, 2016
Crasnick would follow that tweet up with updates stating the incident began with something silly and then later became a bigger problem. The White Sox did not need this to happen on Saturday, especially with the team in a prolonged losing streak. With the White Sox considering the possibility of selling earlier in the week, this decision to send Sale home might force the team’s hand in trading its All-Star pitcher.
Update 7:11 PM: According to Ken Rosenthal, the White Sox sent Sale home because of an issue with the team’s 1976 throwback uniforms. I though it was odd to see the White Sox in its 1983 throwback uniforms on Saturday. If this is true however, the White Sox and Sale for that matter have many more issues than fans might have previously known.
Source: "Sale asked that they not wear (throwbacks) on his day because they are uncomfortable. Things escalated when they wouldn't relent."
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 24, 2016
Next: White Sox: Which Players Will Be Traded
The White Sox can ill-afford anymore controversy this season. With the bizarre retirement of Adam LaRoche in Spring Training, the threatening of boycotting a game, and now this incident the White Sox are having a horrible season from a public relations standpoint.