Injured right-hander Anibal Sanchez threw 50 pitches in a simulated game Sunday morning in Kansas City. Barring any setbacks, Sanchez is on track to be activated mid-week.
Injured Detroit Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez made further progress toward rejoining the roster by pitching a simulated game in Kansas City this morning.
Sanchez threw 50 pitches, facing live batters for the first time since he exited mid-game in his last appearance, August 8 against the Blue Jays. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list the next day due to a strained pectoral muscle in his right side.
If Sanchez suffers no setbacks in the days after participating in the simulated game, manager Brad Asumus stated the right-hander could be activated Wednesday or Thursday.
After stopping a rehab outing short due to severe pain while working out in late August, Sanchez stated he thought his season was over. A return to the starting rotation is out of the question, as there isn't enough time left in the season to stretch out Sanchez to starter innings. But the 30-year-old has improved to the point where pitching out of the bullpen appears to be in his immediate future.
At the time of his injury, Sanchez had an 8-5 record, 3.45 ERA, 2.71 FIP and a rotation low 1.096 WHIP in 125 innings. He could be a massive boost to Detroit's questionable back-end of the bullpen, though it's yet to be officially decided how Sanchez will be used after his return.
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