Apr 22, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher S‡nchez (61) flips the ball to first base in the first inning New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
FLUSHING, N.Y. - J.T. Realmuto knew something wasn't right with Cristopher Sanchez before he even threw his first pitch on Tuesday.
"In the bullpen," Realmuto said. "He was just a little more erratic than he usually is. His fastball command wasn't very good at all. His pitches weren't doing what they normally do. Honestly, I thought it was the finger issue that he kind of ran into last outing, so I wasn't too concerned about it, but yeah, I noticed in the bullpen."
Turns out, it wasn't a finger issue (did anyone know he had a finger issue?) Instead, it was a forearm issue, and those are never good.
Sanchez lasted just two innings Tuesday in what would eventually be a 5-1 Phillies loss to the New York Mets. He allowed two runs on four hits and two walks.
After the second inning, he told manager Rob Thomson he was feeling tightness in his forearm and the Phillies manager immediately lifted him from the game.
Sanchez saw a team doctor, who told him there's no structural damage. Sanchez also had some treatment immediately. The tenor around the clubhouse was that it's not a serious injury, but the Phillies won't just shrug it off as if its nothing. They are going to monitor this very closely, and will likely push Sanchez back a day or two at the bare minimum.
Whether he needs more testing or anything remains to be seen. The Phillies will keep their fingers crossed for the next couple days and hope for the best.
Cristopher Sánchez gives an update on his left forearm soreness, which forced him to leave tonight's game after just two innings. pic.twitter.com/Fb6L7Am1zu
— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) April 23, 2025
For his part, Sanchez said he's not super concerned after meeting with the doctor.
"Right now, I feel normal and I think it's not going to be a thing I have to worry about," Sanchez said through a team interpreter. "I was feeling a little uncomfortable today, but at first I didn't think it was the forearm. I was just feeling off from the bullpen."
Sanchez said after consultation with the doctor, the initial thought is this isn't something he has to worry about - but how many times has that been said and then a player ends up on an injured list?
This is why the Phillies will likely operate with an abundance of caution.
As of now, Sanchez is slated to pitch next Tuesday when the Phillies return home to play the Washington Nationals.
However, with two off days coming - both Thursday and Monday, the Phillies can shuffle the rotation and push Sanchez back as far as Saturday May 3 without making a roster move or putting him on the I.L. They can potentially push it even one day further to Sunday May 4 if they recall Ranger Suarez and send out a reliever.
That would buy them almost two weeks without an I.L. stint, and only skip Sanchez once.
"He's one of the best pitchers in the National League, so other people would have to pick it up," Thomson said of what life would be like without Sanchez. "But I'm not anticipating that yet."
Suarez pitched five scoreless innings for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday. He only needed 59 pitches. The Phillies wanted him to go five innings or 75 pitches. He was quite efficient.
Ranger Suarez pitched 5 scoreless innings tonight for AAA Lehigh Valley!
5.0 IP | 2 H | 0 ER | 2 BB | 5 K | 59 Pitches pic.twitter.com/UrjEli5xa9
Thomson said that regardless of what happens with Sanchez, Suarez will make one more rehab start with the Iron Pigs - and that's scheduled for Sunday.
That would put him on track to return for the Arizona Series at Citizens Bank Park the first weekend of May.
