Reigning NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale appeared to suffer a rib cage injury during Wednesday’s stellar outing against the New York Mets, and as a result, the Braves have placed him on the 15-day IL backdated to June 19, the team announced Saturday. The team recalled Austin Cox from Triple-A as well.

This is a tough blow for Brian Snitker’s squad, which has been struggling this season. They’re six games below .500 and 11 games out of first place in the always competitive National League East. Sale has a fractured left rib cage, which he sustained making a diving stop in Wednesday’s start. The veteran tossed 8.2 innings of scoreless baseball.

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The 36-year-old is having another dominant campaign. He’s 5-4 with a 2.52 ERA in 15 starts. Sale struck out 114 in 89.2 innings of work while walking just 26 batters. He’s been one of the few bright spots for the underwhelming Braves.

This is a tricky injury, as it involves such a complex part of his body when throwing pitches. There’s a good chance the injury could keep Sale out for at least a month. But Atlanta will be praying that’s not the case. He’d be able to return in early July if he remains on the 15-day IL.

The Braves’ pitching has been respectable this year. Offense is the major issue, despite having a plethora of talent throughout their lineup. But the rotation already took a dramatic hit earlier in the season, losing AJ Smith-Shawver to Tommy John surgery.

Sale is undoubtedly the main man at the top of Snitker’s rotation, and it’ll be impossible to replace him. This is the first time Sale has hit the injured list since the Boston Red Sox traded him to Atlanta in December of 2023.