Sanchez starts slow path back to rotation
‘So far, so good,’ rookie says after throwing 25 pitches at minor-league complex
TAMPA, FLA.— Aaron Sanchez, rehabbing his sore lat muscles in nearby Dunedin, was back in the Toronto Blue Jays clubhouse Monday, greeting teammates who were about to open a three-game series with the first-place Tampa Bay Rays that evening.
“Everything is so far, so good,” said Sanchez, who has had most of June off to recover from a nagging soreness that is centered just below his right shoulder.
“(Monday) was the first day I threw, so I’m looking forward to seeing how I feel and seeing what the next step is.”
Sanchez had been at the Jays’ spring training complex in Dunedin earlier in the day, where he started a throwing program by tossing 25 pitches at 60 feet, all of them on flat ground.
Initial reports are great, Sanchez said, but he will wait until he wakes up Tuesday morning to gauge the progress.
The smallest details in Sanchez’s recovery are becoming ultra important to a team where pitching — both the starting rotation and the bullpen — is a red-button issue at the moment.
Sanchez, on the disabled list, will not return by Saturday, when his spot in the rotation comes up again. But the Jays are not focused on that date because of an off day they have Thursday.
That will likely allow them to let the rotation turn over and avoid the need for a spot starter. Toronto summoned Todd Redmond and Rob Rasmussen from Buffalo after Sunday’s bullpen meltdown to Baltimore, in part to replace some underperforming relievers. Both Redmond and Rasmussen, though long relievers, could be stretched into a spot start when Sanchez’s next turn in the rotation comes around.
For now, Sanchez is focusing on increasing his throwing program.
The 22-year-old — he will turn 23 on Canada Day — will likely be assigned to a minor-league rehab stint before he rejoins the Jays, although he has “no idea” where or when that might be.
“That’s out of my control, the next step, what their plan is for me,” Sanchez said. “I want to see how things go the rest of this week and go from there. It sucks being out, but it’s a matter of getting back to (throwing off a mound) once I feel good enough.”
It wouldn’t be surprising if the Jays aimed for Sanchez to return after the all-star break next month.