Marlins shut down former Phillies top prospect Sixto Sanchez

While the Philadelphia Phillies promoted their 2019 first-round pick Bryson Stott on Tuesday, one of their former top pitching prospects remains sidelined with a division rival.

The Miami Marlins have shut down Sixto Sanchez for a few days after the right-handed pitcher experienced shoulder discomfort. “They say he’ll pick it back up in a few days,” Craig Mish writes.

Former Phillies to prospect Sixto Sanchez remains out with shoulder discomfort.

The pitcher — who has yet to appear in a major- or minor-league game this season — reportedly felt slight discomfort during his throwing program between bullpen sessions.

Sanchez, 22, went 3-2 with a 3.46 ERA and 1.205 WHIP spanning seven starts and 39 innings last season as a rookie. In a start against his former organization, the Dominican Republic native went 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA, 0.857 WHIP and 4-3 strikeouts-to-walks ratio across seven solid innings. Sanchez surrendered only three hits and one run in the 2-1 Marlins win.

In the 2020 postseason, Sanchez helped the Marlins to a 2-0 shutout win against the Chicago Cubs in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series, tossing five scoreless innings while striking out six of his 22 batters faced. Opposite the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, the right-hander struggled, allowing four hits, three walks, and four runs in three innings of an eventual 7-0 Marlins defeat.

The Phillies, of course, dealt Sanchez to the Marlins in February 2019 as part of the deal that brought two-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, and Gold Glove-winning catcher J.T. Realmuto to Philadelphia. Realmuto has dealt with his fair share of injuries as well this season, just recently returning from the 10-day injured list with a left wrist contusion. In his first game back this past weekend, he drew a two-out walk and stole second base.

It is still early to determine who won the trade. Realmuto has played 230 games in red pinstripes, and just recently logged his 50th double in a Phillies uniform. Time will tell when Sanchez returns to full health and makes his return to the mound in the majors.