Former starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez just might pitch again in the major leagues. The 33-year-old signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds. Sanchez hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2013.
Sanchez won’t likely make the Reds as a starter. The Reds are in the process of developing their future rotation. The team started rookie pitchers in the final 64 games of the 2015 season. Using Sanchez in the rotation would be innings lost for one of the Reds’ starting pitchers of the future.
Sanchez does have a chance to pitch for the Reds as a reliever. The Reds will need more than one reliever who can throw three to four innings at a time if needed. The lefty Sanchez could complement the right-handed Keyvius Sampson as middle relievers capable of pitching multiple innings when starters are forced from games early.
Sanchez pitched well in the 2015 Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente in Puerto Rico. He posted a 2.72 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 36.1 innings. Sanchez struck out 32 and surrendered just one home run.
Sanchez pitched for the Indios de Mayaguez. The team was managed by Reds’ Double-A manager Pat Kelly.
The Reds have two left-handers projected for their starting rotation in Brandon Finnegan and John Lamb.
The Reds’ bullpen is a different story. Tony Cingrani is the only left-handed reliever on the 40-man roster with big league experience. Cingrani has struggled the past two years after posting a 2.92 ERA in 104.2 innings in 2013.
The Reds also have Rule 5 waiver pick-up Chris O’Grady as a potential lefty reliever.
Sanchez will have his work cut out to beat either Cingrani or O’Grady for an opening day roster spot. He pitched just a total of nine innings in 2014. That included 8.1 in Puerto Rico and less than an inning in Triple A.
Robb Hoff writes about the Cincinnati Reds for OutsidePitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
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