Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Aaron Sanchez will miss the rest of the regular season as he continues to rehabilitate his throwing hand.
The right-hander has struggled all year with blister and nail issues, going on the disabled list four times to try and fix the nagging problem.
Most recently, he was pulled from the Blue Jays’ 5-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox on July 19 after giving up all five runs in four innings of work. A small blister had reappeared in the same spot on his middle finger, putting him back on the DL.
He threw on flat ground on Aug. 19, the first time he had played catch since the loss to the Red Sox. At the time, manager John Gibbons hoped to use Sanchez out of the bullpen when he returned to Toronto’s lineup but, with the Blue Jays out of the playoff picture, the team has settled on a more cautious path.
The 24-year-old Sanchez pitched just 36 innings this season with a 4.25 earned-run average, 24 strikeouts and a 1-3 record.
The abbreviated season comes a year after he went 15-2 with a 3.00 ERA, 161 strikeouts and 192 innings pitched while appearing in his first all-star game. His 2016 ERA led all American League pitchers.
Toronto announced the decision shortly after its 8-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.
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