Categories: News

Sixto Sánchez sidelined with shoulder inflammation

Miami Marlins pitcher Sixto Sánchez underwent an MRI today that revealed mild inflammation in the right shoulder, according to Craig Mish of the Miami Herald.

Sixto Sánchez will be sidelined to start the season. (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire)

It has been a tough few weeks for the former Phillies top prospect. A false positive COVID-19 test delayed Sánchez’s build-up in camp. He was pulled during a simulated game on Wednesday after two innings with shoulder discomfort. The injury should sideline him for a number of weeks.

Sánchez debuted for the Marlins last season and was immediately put on a superstar trajectory. The league was enamored with his 100-mph fastball and wipeout changeup to the point where he was garnering Pedro Martinez comparisons. Two of his first four outings were scoreless, but he went on to give up a combined nine earned runs in his final two outings of the regular season.

In 2018, Sánchez, while still in the Phillies minor-league system, missed significant time with a right elbow injury. Staying healthy will be one of the biggest obstacles in Sánchez’s way of becoming one of the best starting pitchers in baseball. The hope is that Sanchez could return at some point in the next couple of months and build up a reasonable workload.

He’s going to be on a limit of around 165 innings in 2021, according to Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. Since the Marlins are more likely to be contenders in the next three years as opposed to this season, Miami will take it slow with Sánchez and ensure he’s ready to pitch like a frontline starter in the near future.