Eduardo Sanchez to miss an extended period of time with stress fracture of elbow

The Detroit Tigers signed right-handed pitcher Eduardo Sanchez as a minor-league free agent this past December, and was expected to be part of the Toledo Mud Hens rotation in 2014.  Sanchez's spring training officially came to a premature end after a Thursday MRI revealed he had suffered a stress fracture of the olecranon, which is the tip of the elbow.

The Tigers have yet to confirm if surgery would be necessary, but did announce Sanchez would miss an extended amount of time.

The Tigers gave the 25-year-old a shot at making the team out of the bullpen as a non-roster invitee. But Sanchez's shot lasted all of four pitches against the Braves on Wednesday before he was forced to leave the game during the seventh inning after injuring his elbow.

Sanchez spent parts of the last three seasons in the big leagues with the Cardinals and Cubs, pitching in 47 games. He was designated for assignment by the Cubs in September of 2013 after posting a 5.68 ERA in 6 1/3 innings over four games. In 33 appearances split between the Triple-A affiliates of the Cardinals and Cubs in 2013, Sanchez was 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA.