Braves exercise options on Sale and Albies, turn down Johnson and Kinley

The Atlanta Braves exercised options on left-hander Chris Sale and second baseman Ozzie Albies on Thursday while declining options on pitchers Pierce Johnson and Tyler Kinley. Sale earned his second straight All-Star selection and ninth overall, going 7-5 with a 2.58 ERA in a season in which he didn’t pitch between June 18 and Aug. 30 because of a fractured left ribcage, sustained while coming of the mound to field a grounder by the New York Mets’ Juan Soto.