Tigers place Anibal Sanchez on 10-day disabled list

When Anibal Sanchez left his last start against the Texas Rangers in the third inning, it was obvious he was hurting. The official report was hamstring tightness, and now the Tigers have placed Sanchez on the 10-day disabled list as a result.

2017 has been a roller coaster season for Sanchez, who was relegated to a bullpen role early in the year only to be demoted to the Tigers minor league Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens after one too many disastrous outings. Then, a month later Sanchez was back, this time reclaiming his former role as a starter. For a while it seemed as if Sanchez was back to his old self, but it has since become evident things are not looking good for his continued presence on the team beyond this season.

He left the game against the Rangers after 2.1 innings, his ERA a bloated 6.95, due in no small part to the whopping 23 home runs he has given up this season.

The Tigers have enough pitching relief available to them at the moment to not need an immediate replacement for Sanchez. With Jordan Zimmermann, Michael Fulmer, Justin Verlander, and Matthew Boyd slotted for the next four starts and Drew VerHagen available from the bullpen, the Tigers opted to call up JaCoby Jones from Toledo in the meantime.

Jones has appeared in 22 games for the Tigers this season, but struggled to meet the expectations he set coming out of spring training. His major league line was a mere .137/.228/.255, but in Toledo he’s currently hitting .243/.313/.387.

With Mikie Mahtook taking the everyday centerfielder role and his bat much needed in the order, it’s likely Jones will platoon in right field with Alex Presley and Jim Adduci. It’s a good opportunity to see what he can do in the majors, especially with September bringing the expanded roster.

Sanchez, meanwhile, will rest up and hope to make a return before the end of the Tigers season, very possibly his last month in the Detroit uniform.