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Yolmer Sanchez

Mets Sign Yolmer Sanchez, Austin Allen To Minor League Deals

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The Mets signed infielder Yolmer Sanchez and catcher Austin Allen to minor league contracts on Tuesday, the team announced. Both players will be in big league camp as non-roster invitees to spring training.

Sanchez, 31, won a Gold Glove with the 2019 White Sox and was their regular second baseman from 2017-19, batting a combined .253/.314/.368 in 1751 plate appearances. The glove-first switch hitter has tallied just 65 MLB plate appearances since that time, however, with an ugly .170/.302/.283 output in that tiny sample. Sanchez spent the 2023 season with the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate, for whom he turned in a .236/.381/.350 slash in 481 plate appearances.

Allen, who turns 30 today, once ranked as one of the better prospects in the Padres and Athletics systems. He’s only received 127 big league plate appearances, batting .195/.252/.288 in that time. However, Allen carries a stout .287/.349/.555 batting line in parts of four Triple-A seasons. He spent the ’23 season with the Marlins Triple-A club, batting .225/.312/.491 with 15 home runs in 366 trips to the plate. Allen has posted roughly average framing marks in the upper minors, per Baseball Prospectus, and he sports a career 23% caught-stealing rate between the big leagues and minors combined.

Sanchez joins a list of infield depth options that includes waiver claim Zack Short, free agent signee Joey Wendle and fellow minor league free-agent pickups Jose Iglesias and Rylan Bannon (both of whom will be in camp as non-roster invitees as well). Francisco Alvarez is expected to be the Mets’ everyday catcher, with Omar Narvaez and Tyler Heineman both as 40-man options behind him. Allen joins Tomas Nido as a non-roster entrant into the mix for playing time behind the dish.

Braves Sign Yolmer Sanchez To Minor League Deal

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The Braves announced their full slate of non-roster invitees to spring training Wednesday, noting within that they’ve signed veteran infielder Yolmer Sanchez to a minor league contract. The MVP Sports Group client will vie for a roster spot this spring. It’s his second stint with the Braves, having also spent the 2021 season with their Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett.

Sanchez, 30, has appeared in parts of eight big league seasons dating back to 2014. That includes a three-year run as the White Sox’ primary second baseman from 2017-19, which culminated in Sanchez winning a Gold Glove for his defensive prowess at the position.

While he had a roughly average year at the plate in 2017, when he batted .267/.319/.413 through 534 plate appearances, Sanchez’s overall offensive track record is lackluster. He’s a career .243/.299/.355 hitter, including just a .244/.316/.317 slash dating back to 2019. He totaled 44 trips to the plate between the Red Sox in 2022 but went just 4-for-37 at the plate in that stretch. He posted a heartier .246/.372/.394 slash in 396 plate appearances between the Triple-A affiliates for the Red Sox and Mets last year.

Sanchez has been primarily a second baseman in his career, but he has more than 2700 innings at third base and more than 2100 innings at shortstop under his belt as a professional as well. He’s posted plus defensive grades at second base (11 Defensive Runs Saved, 16.2 Ultimate Zone Rating, 6 Outs Above Average in 3581 innings) and at third base (12 DRS, 6.3 UZR, 9 OAA). He’s only logged 99 innings at shortstop in the big leagues, though, and the majority of his experience there came in the minors back in 2012-14.

The shortstop experience could still hold some appeal to a Braves club that let Dansby Swanson walk as a free agent and has opted to stay in-house to replace him. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos has touted young Vaughn Grissom and veteran Orlando Arcia as the two primary options to replace Swanson. It’s doubtful Sanchez would be under consideration for a full-time look at short, even in the event of injuries/struggles from both Grissom and Arcia, but he could be an occasional option there if he snags a bench job. He joins fellow veterans Adeiny Hechavarria and Ehire Adrianza as non-roster players who’ll look to work their way into the infield mix in some capacity this spring.

15 Players Elect Free Agency

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As the postseason rolls along, players hit minor league free agency daily. It’s customary each offseason for dozens of players to hit the open market, separate from the players who reach MLB free agency at the end of the World Series based on the expiration of their contracts while having six-plus years of MLB service time.

Any player who is not on his team’s 40-man roster at season’s end but has three-plus years of MLB service, multiple career outright assignments and/or seven-plus seasons in the minor leagues has the right to elect free agency. Everyone in today’s group falls under that umbrella. The majority will take minor league deals over the winter, although one or two could find a big league deal as a bench piece or middle-inning reliever.

MLBTR covered 34 players who qualified for minor league free agency last week. We’ll periodically provide updates as plenty more hit the open market, as reflected on the MiLB.com transactions log.

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Infielders

Outfielders

Mets Outright Yolmer Sanchez

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Veteran infielder Yolmer Sanchez went unclaimed on waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Syracuse by the Mets, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. New York designated Sanchez for assignment recently upon reinstating Eduardo Escobar from the injured list.

Sanchez, 30, appeared in three games with the Mets but didn’t receive a plate appearance, so he didn’t get the opportunity to improve even marginally upon a dismal .108/.214/.108 slash he posted in a tiny sample of 44 plate appearances with the Red Sox earlier in the year (4-for-37, seven walks, 13 strikeouts).

At his best, Sanchez was a Gold Glove-caliber defender at second base with just slightly below-average offense. From 2017-18, he slashed .253/.313/.390 as the White Sox’ primary second baseman. His already minimal power output dipped in 2019, but Sanchez also took home a Gold Glove that year, lessening the sting of his fairly punchless approach at the dish. Since that 2019 campaign, however, he’s logged just 65 big league plate appearances and mustered only a .170/.303/.282 output.

Sanchez will have the ability to reject the outright assignment in favor of free agency. (He’s previously been outrighted and also has more than three years of service — either of which would grant him that right on its own.) He’d have to be with a new club by midnight ET tonight if said new team wanted to be able to rely on him as a defensive-minded insurance option for the postseason roster. If he simply accepts the outright and sticks with the Mets, he’d give them a strong glove and some speed to fall back on, should the incur an injury (or multiple injuries) in the infield between now and the playoffs.

Mets Activate Eduardo Escobar, Designate Yolmer Sanchez

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The Mets announced a quartet of roster moves, including the activation of Eduardo Escobar from the 10-day injured list.  Left-hander David Peterson was also called up from Triple-A to start tonight’s game against the Rockies, while righty Connor Grey was optioned to Triple-A and infielder Yolmer Sanchez was designated for assignment.

Escobar will return after just the minimum 10 days, though he had been been bothered by his oblique problem for a few games leading up to his eventual IL placement.  Fortunately, Escobar’s strain was pretty minor, and he’ll now get back to the NL East-leading Mets in relatively short order.  He won’t be returning to a starting job, however, as Luis Guillorme (currently on the IL himself) had already eaten into Escobar’s regular playing time at third base, and now top prospect Brett Baty has been called up and is part of the mix at the hot corner.  It seems like Escobar will be part of a platoon with Baty until Guillorme is healthy.

Sanchez was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox last week to address this lack of infield depth in Queens, and the former Gold Glover might well find himself on the move again now that he’s back on the DFA wire.  (Intriguingly, the White Sox might again be a possibility for Sanchez now that Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson are both on the injured list.)

Over a three-game tenure with the Mets, Sanchez appeared only as a late-game defensive sub, without any plate appearances.  For the season as a whole, Sanchez has only 44 PA and a .322 OPS in limited action with the Red Sox.

Peterson has been up and down from Triple-A Syracuse many times this season, tossing 83 2/3 innings and starting 15 of 19 games filling in for various injured Mets starters.  With Carlos Carrasco on the IL, it has created yet another chance for Peterson to make a spot start or two.  The southpaw has performed admirably, with a 3.44 ERA over his 83 2/3 frames.

Mets Claim Yolmer Sanchez, Designate Patrick Mazeika

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The Mets announced Thursday that they’ve claimed veteran second baseman Yolmer Sanchez off waivers from the Red Sox and opened a spot on the roster by designating catcher Patrick Mazeika for assignment.

The 30-year-old Sanchez is a former Gold Glove winner at second base who never got going with the bat in his brief time with the Red Sox. In a small sample of 37 plate appearances, he went just 4-for-37 with an 11.4% walk rate, 29.5% strikeout rate and no extra-base hits.

Sanchez’s peak years with the bat came in 2017-18 with the White Sox, when he posted a combined .253/.312/.390 batting line while playing second base on a near-everyday basis. Granted, even that career-best production was about nine percent worse than league-average, by measure of wRC+, but for a player with Sanchez’s speed and defensive skills, that was plenty to make him a solid regular. His line dipped to .252/.318/.321 in 2019, but Sanchez also won a Gold Glove that year, so the Sox likely didn’t mind the tepid output at the plate.

In the time since winning that Gold Glove, though, Sanchez has barely seen the Majors. He logged just 21 plate appearances with the ChiSox during the shortened 2020 season and spent the 2021 season with the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate where he posted a grisly .216/.309/.352 line in 355 plate appearances. Things were going much better for Sanchez with Boston’s Triple-A club, for whom he’d turned in a .247/.377/.413 line in 305 trips to the plate.

The Mets’ infield is banged up at the moment, with Luis Guillorme out as long as six weeks and Eduardo Escobar on the injured list due to an oblique strain. New York recently called up top infield prospect Brett Baty to man the hot corner — Baty homered in his first MLB at-bat last night — and have Francisco Lindor, Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso to round out the infield. Guillorme’s absence takes away the Mets’ primary backup to Lindor at shortstop, however, but Sanchez can give them a capable bench option to back up any of Baty, Lindor and McNeil while they work toward getting back to better health.

As for Mazeika, the 28-year-old has had some brief looks with the Mets over the past two seasons but has never provided anything with the bat. He’s a .190/.236/.279 hitter in 159 plate appearances at the MLB level. Mazeika does have a more palatable .272/.367/.414 output in parts of two Triple-A seasons, and the Mets have been pleased with his defensive skills. He’ll be placed on waivers within a week. Any team that claims Mazeika could option him freely in 2022, but he’ll be out of minor league options next season.

Red Sox Designate Yolmer Sanchez For Assignment

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5:35pm: The Red Sox formally announced all three moves. Sanchez has been designated for assignment, while both Hernandez and Refsnyder have been reinstated from the injured list.

4:30pm: The Red Sox have designated infielder Yolmer Sanchez for assignment, reports Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). The team has yet to formally announce the move, but it’ll come as part of series of transactions that also includes the activation of utilitymen Enrique Hernandez and Rob Refsnyder, per Abraham.

Sanchez, 30, has been with the Red Sox since being selected to the big league roster on July 22. A former Gold Glove winner and regular with the White Sox, he’s seen his offensive output crater in recent years, though never quite to the extent it has so far in Boston. It’s a tiny sample, just 14 games, but Sanchez is just 4-for-37 with seven walks (11.4%), 13 strikeouts (29.5%) and zero extra-base hits through 44 trips to the plate — resulting in a dismal .108/.214/.108 batting line on the year.

Sanchez’s peak years with the bat came in 2017-18 in Chicago, when he posted a combined .253/.312/.390 batting line while playing second base on a near-everyday basis. Granted, even that career-best production was about nine percent worse than league-average, by measure of wRC+, but for a player with Sanchez’s speed and defensive skills, that was plenty to make him a solid regular at second base. His line dipped to .252/.318/.321 in 2019, but Sanchez also won a Gold Glove that year, so the Sox likely didn’t mind the tepid output at the plate.

In the time since winning that Gold Glove, though, Sanchez has barely seen the Majors. He logged just 21 plate appearances with the ChiSox during the shortened 2020 season and spent the 2021 season with the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate where he posted a grisly .216/.309/.352 line in 355 plate appearances. Things were going much better for Sanchez with Boston’s Triple-A club, for whom he’d turned in a .247/.377/.413 line in 305 trips to the plate.

Now that the trade deadline has passed, the only outcome for players who are designated for assignment is to be placed on outright waivers or release waivers. Sanchez has enough service time to reject an outright assignment to the minors if he goes unclaimed.

Red Sox Place Chris Sale On Injured List, Select Yolmer Sanchez

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The Red Sox officially placed Chris Sale on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to July 19, after the southpaw fractured his pinky on a comebacker during his final start before the All-Star Break. Brayan Bello has been recalled from Triple-A Worcester to take his active roster spot. Boston also selected infielder Yolmer Sánchez and optioned out catcher Connor Wong.

Sale’s timetable for a return remains unclear. He underwent surgery earlier this week, with the team announcing they anticipated he’d be back at some point this season. Manager Alex Cora acknowledged today he has “no idea” when the southpaw could return, adding “hopefully he can get back with us and dominate” (via Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald). Sale has pitched just twice this season after missing the first three months of the year with a rib fracture.

Boston also placed second baseman Trevor Story on the IL just before the Break, necessitating Sánchez’s call-up. The righty-hitting infielder adds some depth on the dirt, although rookie Jeter Downs looks the favorite for playing time at second base. Sánchez, a former Gold Glove winner with the White Sox, adds a solid defensive specialist to the bench. He’s a career .245/.300/.359 hitter through just under 2500 plate appearances at the big league level.

Sánchez also saw brief action as a COVID substitute earlier this season, appearing in a game during a series in Toronto. That promotion was always temporary, but this call-up represents a permanent addition to the 40-man roster. Boston was able to send the 30-year-old back to Worcester without passing him through waivers last time around, but they’d have to designate him for assignment to remove him from the MLB roster this time. Signed to a minor league deal over the offseason, Sánchez has posted a .247/.377/.413 line with the WooSox, walking in a massive 16.5% of his 303 plate appearances.

Boston had a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so no additional move was necessary to accommodate Sánchez’s promotion. Josh Winckowski is temporarily not counting against the 40-man while on the COVID list; Boston will need to create space to reinstate Wincowski whenever he’s ready to return.

Red Sox Designate Silvino Bracho For Assignment

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The Red Sox announced Thursday that right-hander Silvino Bracho has been designated for assignment and that infielder Yolmer Sanchez, who’d been up as a Covid-related substitute, has been returned to Triple-A Worcester. The pair of moves opens roster space for righty Tanner Houck and outfielder Jarren Duran to be reinstated from the restricted list. Both missed the Sox’ three-game series in Toronto due to vaccination status and travel restrictions.

Bracho, 30 next month, didn’t appear in a game with the Sox after having his contract selected to the roster. He’s spent the entire season so far in Worcester, where he’s pitched to a 3.16 ERA with an outstanding 36-to-4 K/BB ratio (29.3 K%, 3.3 BB%) in 31 1/3 innings of work. Had he gotten into a game during this Sox stint, it would’ve marked his first MLB action since 2020 and just his second MLB appearance since back in 2018.

Signed to a minor league deal in early March, Bracho has appeared in parts of five Major League seasons, all coming as a member of the Diamondbacks. He turned in impressive results both in 2015 and 2018, and he has at times missed bats at above-average rates. However, Bracho has been quite homer-prone throughout his big league tenure (1.71 HR/9) and hasn’t consistently racked up strikeouts or limited walks effectively enough to offset the damage from those round-trippers. In 89 2/3 Major League frames, he carries a 4.82 ERA.

The Sox will have a week to trade Bracho or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. Lack of track record and a pedestrian fastball typically combine to limit interest in journeymen of this mold, but Bracho’s 2022 showing in Worcester is impressive enough that another club might have interest in placing a speculative claim or swinging a minor trade. If he does pass through waivers unclaimed, he’ll have the ability to reject the assignment in favor of free agency (both by virtue of having three-plus years of MLB service and having been previously outrighted in the past).

Red Sox Select Yolmer Sanchez

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The Red Sox announced they’ve selected infielder Yolmer Sánchez onto the major league roster. They’ve also recalled righty Connor Seabold from Triple-A Worcester. In corresponding moves, righty Tanner Houck and outfielder Jarren Duran are going on the restricted list. That’s typical procedure for players who haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 on teams heading for a series in Toronto, as the Canadian government prohibits unvaccinated athletes from crossing the border.

Sánchez makes it to the majors for the first time in two years. A longtime member of the White Sox, the Venezuela native is a career .245/.300/.360 hitter over parts of seven seasons. He’s a highly-regarded defensive infielder who has logged significant time at both second and third base in his career. Sánchez claimed the American League’s Gold Glove Award at the keystone in 2019.

Signed to a minor league deal over the offseason, the 29-year-old has spent the entire season in Worcester. He’s hitting .253/.381/.424 with eight home runs and an excellent 16.6% walk rate over 265 plate appearances with the WooSox. Sánchez has played each of second, third and shortstop in the minors this season.

The Sox didn’t announce whether he was being brought to the majors as a designated COVID “substitute.” Players with that designation — which can only be granted by the commissioner’s office — occupy temporary spots on the roster and can be sent back to the minor leagues without being exposed to waivers or optioned.

That’d be a meaningful distinction in Sánchez’s case, as he has more than five years of MLB service time and thus cannot be optioned without his consent. If he were tagged with the substitute designation, he’d likely head back to Worcester when Houck and Duran are eligible to return on Friday. If not, he’ll have to remain on the active roster or be designated for assignment from this point forward.

Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reported the moves before the team announcement.

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