Red Sox ace Chris Sale has a flexor strain in his pitching arm and will be shut down from throwing for a week.

Red Sox interim manager Ron Roenicke updated Sale's status Thursday morning, telling reporters that an MRI showed no notable damage to the left-hander's elbow.

Sale underwent an MRI on Tuesday, and the results were examined by Red Sox doctors along with renowned surgeons Dr. James Andrews and Dr. Neal ElAttrache.

Roenicke said that neither Andrews nor ElAttrache recommended surgery for Sale's elbow.

"Doctors have advised him to wait another week before he starts throwing again," Roenicke said. "He'll start playing catch again. If everything is good, we'll progress."

Sale last faced hitters on Aug. 13, giving up five runs with 12 strikeouts over 6⅔ innings in a win at Cleveland. He was put on the injured list and shut down with elbow inflammation, ending his worst season at 6-11 with a 4.40 ERA in 25 starts.

The Red Sox already had said that Sale, 30, will start this season on the injured list after he reported to camp with pneumonia.

Last March, the Red Sox signed Sale to a five-year, $145 million contract extension. The new deal starts this season and runs through the 2024 season. Sale will earn $30 million per year from 2020 to 2022 and $27.5 million in '23 and '24.