Jesús

Sánchez

Sánchez will head to free agency this offseason after a six-game stint with the Diamondbacks where he went 2-for-15 after being claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays in mid-September. The 28-year-old corner outfielder hit just .260/.318/.416 with eight homers and one steal in 299 plate appearances before Toronto decided to pull the plug. He should be able to land on his feet as a strong-side platoon outfield option somewhere this offseason.

Sánchez’s brief stint with Arizona is officially over after just six games where he went 2-for-15 at the dish. The 28-year-old corner outfielder was claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays back on September 14.

The Diamondbacks have won a staggering six consecutive contests to pull within a single game of the Phillies for the final NL Wild Card playoff berth with two games left on the schedule. Sánchez’s removal from Arizona’s roster will be to create a roster spot for the club to bring up some additional catching depth after Gabriel Moreno suffered a mild hamstring injury during Friday’s game. The 28-year-old was claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays earlier this month and has played against most right-handed starters as a temporary stopgap.

Gabriel Moreno is getting a half day off as a DH, so there’s no room for Sánchez today. Sánchez is just 2-for-15 for his new team. One imagines he’ll spend the weekend on the bench in favor of Jordan Lawlar and Ryan Waldschmidt if the D-backs are officially eliminated from contention.

Sánchez heads out west to help Arizona as a platoon option for the remainder of their late-season playoff push. The 28-year-old corner outfielder was designated for assignment by Toronto last week after hitting just .260/.318/.416 with eight homers and one steal in 299 plate appearances. The lackluster offensive production was manageable for the Blue Jays, but it became unpalatable when paired with utterly abysmal defense. He’ll split time in the outfield corners, in addition to spending some time at DH, for the Diamondbacks over the final two weeks of the season.

The 28-year-old has been worth negative-one BBWAR this year while hitting .260/.318/.416 with eight homers and a stolen base in 299 plate appearances.
Sánchez missed about a month with an ankle sprain at the end of June continuing in to July. He still has some power, but his speed declined this year (one stolen base compared to 13 in 2025) and his defense has been abysmal. It’s possible he’s claimed on waivers. He is arbitration eligible next offseason, but it would be surprising if a team wanted to pay him more than $6.8 million he made this year.

The 23-year-old Keys, who just recently added left field to his position mix along with first and third base, is back for another look after a big month of August that saw him hit .358/.470/.684 with seven homers for Buffalo. He might get some starts over Jesús Sánchez against righties to see if he can provide a spark.

It’s the third time in the past four games that the 28-year-old outfielder has found himself out of the starting nine for the Blue Jays. The other two were against southpaws, which makes sense, though this one is against right-hander Logan Gilbert. Myles Straw will start in his place in left field and bat ninth for the Jays on Sunday.

Springer was scratched from Saturday’s lineup due to tightness in his left shoulder and they’ll give him an extra day to rest on Sunday as well. The expectation is that he’ll once again be available off the bench if needed and he’s still considered day-to-day. Jesus Sanchez will serve as the team’s designated hitter while Myles Straw starts in left field and will bat ninth against Phillies’ left-hander Jesus Luzardo.

The homer was on a 3-0 pitch that was up and out of the strike zone, but it seems he knew what he was doing. Sánchez is batting .270/.313/.438 with eight homers through 246 plate appearances. He’s going to need to stay healthy and put together a nice finish here to avoid being non-tendered this winter.