Toronto Blue Jays: Aaron Sanchez returns to his second home
By Paul Taylor
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Aaron Sanchez is off to the disabled list for a third time this season, this time with a middle finger laceration.
Will the third time by a charm for Aaron Sanchez? The Toronto Blue Jays and their fans can only hope so, with the young ace being sent to the 10-day disabled list yet again, on Saturday.
As reported by Sportsnet‘s Shi Davidi, the latest injury is a middle finger laceration. Regardless, it is somewhat worrying that Sanchez has already been sent to the DL three times this season.
To say this has been a frustrating campaign so far for the 24-year old, would be a major understatement. He only returned from his second stint on the DL on May 14.
Sanchez’s issues go all the way back to spring training, when he suffered a blister during his final start. In fact, he has being dealing with blisters throughout his professional career.
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As a result of the latest blister, the 2010 first round draft pick underwent surgery, to remove part of the nail on his finger. The hope was that the procedure would alleviate the issue.
Sanchez has been limited to five starts so far in 2017. His latest start saw him throw 93 pitches on Friday night, versus the Baltimore Orioles.
The 2016 All-Star had 58 strikes, while allowing six hits and three earned runs. Afterwards, as reported by Sportsnet‘s Ben Nicholson-Smith, he admitted he felt a little pain.
All things considered, Sanchez’s 3.33 ERA is pretty impressive. However, his injury issues have still affected his performances, including seeing his grounder rate dip to 40 percent, from his career average of 56 percent. (Credit: Mark Polishuk – mlbtraderumors.com)
This all leads to the question of if the Blue Jays are rushing the Barstow, California native back too quickly? Certainly, they had previously indicated he didn’t even need to go on the DL, which has obviously not been the case.
We’ve previously indicated the Blue Jays need to give Sanchez an extended break, in an attempt to completely resolve the issue. In that respect, it sounds like they are finally prepared to be more patient.
Discussing the matter with MLB.com‘s Gregor Chisholm and other members of the media, Blue Jays’ manager John Gibbons said:
"“It’s a blister thing. We want to knock it out. It’s aggravating him. If we don’t get rid of it then it’ll probably linger forever.”"
While this will cause short-term complications for the injury-hit rotation, it makes perfect sense. Get the injury healed properly now, or it will continue to cause problems for Sanchez and the team.
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In light of the latest developments, are you concerned Sanchez will have ongoing problems for the foreseeable future, or are you confident the issue will now be resolved with this latest stint on the DL? Share your thoughts in the comments section.