Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Tuesday with mild left shoulder inflammation.

The DL assignment is retroactive to Saturday.

Sale downplayed the injury, calling it "just a little soreness," and said he could pitch if he had to.

"If this was something more serious, I would tell you," Sale said on Tuesday. "We're not hiding anything. This is nothing that we're worried about. This is a concern at most."

Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski called it "more of a short-term type thing."

"I think he just felt it was normal type soreness," Dombrowski said. "And maybe it's a little bit more. There's a little inflammation in there. They think they can calm it down quickly."

Sale's 2.04 ERA is the best in the American League and his 207 strikeouts are the most in the majors.

Brian Johnson will start in place of Sale on Thursday against the Yankees.

The team has recalled righthander Brandon Workman from Pawtucket to take Sale’s roster spot.

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