Sixto

Sanchez

It’s fair to wonder if Sánchez’s precipitous decline from one of the most promising young pitchers in the game to a complete afterthought due to injury and ineffectiveness is one of the most disappointing career arcs we’ve seen in a long time. The 26-year-old former top prospect figures to elect free agency after his removal from Miami’s 40-man roster after posting a bloated 6.06 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 17/14 K/BB ratio across 35 2/3 innings (14 appearances, seven starts) last year in the big leagues.

Sánchez is now off the 40-man roster, and wouldn’t be able to return to the Miami staff until August 2. The right-hander gets removed to clear room for Austin Kitchen, with Kitchen coming to Miami off waivers from the Rockies.

Sánchez left Friday’s start after four-plus innings despite giving up just one run, and this appears to explain why. The right-hander has dealt with injuries throughout his short MLB career, and unfortunately he’ll need at least two weeks — likely more — before rejoining the Miami rotation. To take his place on the roster, the Marlins recalled Emmanuel Ramirez from Triple-A Jacksonville.

Sánchez, who went without a strikeout tonight, was pulled with a 4-1 lead after giving up a double and a single to start the fifth. Declan Cronin took over then and did a nice job in allowing only one of the runners to score. Sánchez has completed five innings just once seven starts for the Marlins, and he’s still looking for the first victory of his comeback. His ERA stands at 6.06.

Sanchez allowed five hits, two walks and struck out two. The loss was his third of the season. Sanchez completed five innings for the first time in six starts this year. His ERA is now 6.25 on the season. Once a top prospect, Sanchez doesn’t have much fantasy utility right now as he doesn’t miss many bats or pitch deep into games. That’s not a recipe for winning games on this Marlins team. The 25-year-old right-hander is set to face the Rangers at home next week.

This version of Sánchez doesn’t get enough swings and misses to be a viable starter as his K% and Whiff% are both near the bottom of the league. The Mets jumped on Sánchez for a four-run first inning in which he threw 40 pitches with just two swings and misses. He did settle in some after the first and touched 96 MPH three times. His ERA as a starter rose to 6.52 in this loss.

Sánchez struck out two and also issued a pair of walks in his longest outing since joining Miami’s starting rotation back on April 24. The 25-year-old former top prospect simply doesn’t offer enough strikeout upside to merit consideration for a roster spot in fantasy formats. He’ll bring an inflated 5.96 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 13/9 K/BB ratio across 22 2/3 innings (11 appearances, four starts) into a home outing against the Mets on Sunday.

Sánchez also walked three and struck out two. Somehow, he was the better of the two starters on the night. He had just a 17 percent whiff rate and his four-seam fastball velocity was down two mph from his previous outing. Sánchez has a 7.50 ERA and should not be on fantasy rosters, especially since he is likely losing his spot in the Marlins rotation.

It’s just not happening for Sanchez as a starter. He walked none and struck out three, but he also allowed three extra-base hits and had just a 16 percent whiff rate. Both his slider and changeup were noticeably harder than he’s thrown them all season, so it’s possible that Sanchez is tinkering with his arsenal, but he’s firmly off the fantasy radar. He has an 8.36 ERA on the season and could be in line to face Oakland this weekend if he remains in the rotation.

Sánchez allowed five hits, struck out three and also issued one walk. He also hit one batter and balked in a run during an eventful opening frame where he attempted a pickoff move to a vacant second base. It was his first start since the 2020 postseason and it’s a bit unclear whether the Marlins are going to hand him the ball again as a traditional starter or shift him back to a bullpen role. If he’s given another turn in Miami’s injury-depleted rotation, he’ll take the ball on Tuesday against the Rockies at loan Depot park.