Ex-Yankees catcher Gary Sánchez could be inching closer to an MLB return.
Sanchez, who inked a minor league deal with San Francisco this spring, could find his way back to the bigs as the Giants struggle behind the dish.
On Thursday, Roberto Perez underwent season-ending surgery on his rotator cuff, days after Austin Wynn opted for the minors when he was designated for assignment.
Joey Bart returned to the team this week after a stint on the IL with a mid-back strain, joining rookie Blake Sabol as the only catchers on the Giants roster.
The flurry of moves this week bring Sanchez closer to another shot at the majors, despite disappointing with the Twins last season — he hit .205 in 128 games with Minnesota, his first after he struggled with way out of The Bronx.
“I’m hearing good things [about Sanchez], also that there’s some rust to knock off there,” San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler told the San Francisco Chronicle earlier this week. “Joey [Bart] hasn’t needed a whole lot of time because he was already built up and ready to go. Gary [Sánchez] doesn’t have that foundation built up yet. So we need to do that for him at Triple-A.”
Sánchez has gone just 2-for-12 — including four strikeouts and three RBIs — in the three games he’s played with the Triple A Sacramento River Cats.
Still, he’s impressed at least Bart thus far.
“[Sanchez] looks good,” Bart told the Chronicle. “I’d never meet him before, but he seems like a good dude. And he’s a guy who played in the Bronx for a long time, so it’s pretty cool.”
After starting out his career with the Yankees as the fastest catcher in history to reach 100 home runs, he has been unable to regain the form that made him an All-Star in 2016 and 2017.
Poor defense and batting led to Sanchez getting benched in the 2020 and 2021 playoffs, while his one-year stint with the Twins was marred by some of the lowest stats of his career.
As he tries to climb back to the big leagues, he still has plenty of believers.
“I still think Gary can be really good,” Yankees pitcher Luis Severino said before Sanchez landed with the Giants organization. “I know he’s been struggling with his bat the last couple [of] years, but maybe he wasn’t 100 percent or feeling something. I know he can contribute to a team.”
Getting back to the majors is one thing, it will be another if Sanchez can regain his form and stick there.