Red Sox

Chris Sale reveals he hasn’t been vaccinated against COVID-19

He said he had no symptoms and called it "a head-scratcher" that he tested positive.

First base umpire Bill Miller checks Red Sox ace Chris Sale for foreign substances. Michael Dwyer/AP Photo

September 18, 2021

Red Sox ace Chris Sale has not been vaccinated against COVID-19, he shared Friday.

Sale, who allowed one run in five innings as the Red Sox cruised past the Orioles, 7-1, contracted the virus prior to the season and again earlier this month.

Recently, he tested positive, went on the COVID-related injured list last Friday, and needed to quarantine as a result. Sale said he was alarmed to hear the news from the training staff that he had tested positive even though he was asymptomatic for a second time.

“I get a phone call and they’re like, ‘Hey, you tested positive for COVID,’” Sale told reporters. “I don’t know how. I didn’t feel bad. I never had a cough or the runs or any of the other symptoms that come with it. So it was just kind of a head-scratcher.”

Sale says he’s been asymptomatic both times he’s had COVID. He also said he’s not vaccinated.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) September 18, 2021

He said he had to work out at his home — pitching off a portable mound in his backyard — before he was cleared for Friday’s start. While quarantined, he frequently checked in with team doctors who made sure he was OK.

“I work hard to maintain a good diet and exercise routine and I take vitamins every day,” Sale said. “So, I was prepared for this. In the end, it worked out.”