Phillies No. 1 prospect Sixto Sanchez completes first bullpen session in over two months

Even with a pitching staff that’s been among the best in baseball in 2018, there’s hope that with a second-wave of pitching prospects, the Philadelphia Phillies starting rotation could get even better in coming years. That hope largely will rest on the shoulders of 20-year-old Sixto Sanchez, who has been on the disabled list with right elbow inflammation since early June.

According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Sanchez threw a bullpen session late last week, leaving the door open for a potential return before the end of the season:

A nugget of news about Phillies’ top prospect: Sixto Sanchez threw his first bullpen session Friday night since suffering a right elbow injury in June, Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said. The Phillies have followed a conservative plan in Sanchez’s rehab. There is hope he could return in time to pitch in the post season for High-A Clearwater, but that may be out of reach. The Phillies could have Sanchez recoup some innings during informal instructional league games in October.

Sanchez was 4-3 with a 2.51 ERA for Clearwater before going on the disabled list. Clearwater is 30-18 in the second half of the Florida State League season – they have a 1.5 game lead over Dunedin in the Florida State League North division – so playoffs seem to be a likely scenario for the Threshers. Whether Sanchez pitches for the Threshers in the postseason remains to be seen.

In Phillies Nation’s updated ranking of the top 20 prospects in the Phillies organization, Sanchez came in at No. 1. MLB Pipeline says that Sanchez is the 17th best prospect in all of baseball.

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