White Sox left-hander Chris Sale likely won’t pitch in his first Cactus League game until around March 19, pitching coach Don Cooper said Friday.
The slow start to the spring is a calculated move on the Sox’s part to help keep Sale fresh throughout the season and to also limit the amount of time opponents see him in the spring.
When Sale fractured his foot last spring, the Sox found he didn’t need a full slate of Cactus League starts to prepare for the season. Sale has said that he felt strong late in the year and worked with Cooper to come up with a plan to replicate that endurance in 2016.