Houston Astros will have to play out the rest of 2019 MLB season without right-hand pitcher Aaron Sanchez. The team’s general manager Jeff Luhnow confirmed on Thursday that Sanchez is scheduled to undergo a surgery on his throwing shoulder, which will rule him out for the rest of the year.
Sanchez suffered the injury mid-August and was initially placed on the 10-day injured list. While the team was optimistic that the 27-year-old will play again this season, the injury turned out to be more serious than it seemed and he had to end his inaugural season with Astros earlier than expected.
Houston acquired Aaron Sanchez on the trade deadline alongside Joe Biagini and Cal Stevenson in a deal that saw outfielder Derek Fisher head to Toronto Blue Jays. While Sanchez mightily struggled with Blue Jays, he showed signs of improvement since joining the Astros. In four games he played before the injury, he was 2-0 with 4.82 ERA and 16 strikeouts.
Although Sanchez would definitely be of help for Astros in the postseason, the team isn’t likely to miss him that much. With Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Zack Greinke, and Wade Miley on the roster, they still have one of the best rotations in MLB and should have no problems making a deep playoff run.
