Pierzynski updated fans during a Monday appearance on MLB Network after having a conversation with the 2024 NL Cy Young winner.

“He said he’ll be OK. I talked to him,” Pierzynski said. “Don’t worry, Braves country. Two small rib fractures. So I don’t know what that entails.”

Coupled with Braves manager Brian Snitker’s comments when the team made the move and it should prove reassuring that Sale will be able to bounce back eventually.

Article Continues Below“He was doing his exercises yesterday and felt like something wasn’t right, so they had him looked at it, and it showed what it showed,” Snitker said, per George Richards of MLB.com. “It’s just a freak thing. An unfortunate thing. I saw him after the game that night and he was doing his postgame workout. And then I saw him the next day and I think he maybe felt a little uncomfortable the next day. But then yesterday is when he wanted to get it checked out.”

Snitker added that he didn’t have a timetable for Sale’s return but that the injury needed to heal before he could start ramping up again.

After a rocky start to the season, Sale has regained his elite form over the past two months. In March and April, he went 1-3 with a 4.84 ERA, but a 3.33 FIP and 46 strikeouts to nine walks in 35.1 innings indicated he was getting unlucky. Since then, he is 4-1 with a 1.00 ERA over eight starts.

With Sale out for the immediate future, the Braves will have to continue their claw back to contention without him. Atlanta enters Monday at 35-41, seven games out of a playoff spot. It’s far from an ideal position, but with just over a month left before the trade deadline, there’s enough time for them to make a push and become reasonable contenders.