Sixto Sanchez to miss even more time for Miami Marlins

Sixto Sanchez was supposed to be the next young ace for the Miami Marlins. The centerpiece of the trade that sent J.T. Realmuto to Philadelphia, he was one of the top prospects in the game, a flamethrower who the Marlins felt they could build their pitching staff around.

Injuries ruined his 2021 season after a promising debut in 2020. He missed the start of the year due to COVID, then was sidelined with shoulder soreness. A tear in his posterior capsule was discovered, requiring surgery that shut him down for the rest of the year.

Miami Marlins prospect Sixto Sanchez to miss even more time

The hope was that Sanchez would be ready for spring training. He himself had said that he was at 100% and ready to go. However, those hopes are gone as he is taking longer to recover from surgery than expected. Instead of being at 100% as he said, it is now expected that he will be ready by midseason.

Sanchez showed a great deal of promise during his time in 2020. He posted a 3.46 ERA and a 1.205 WHiP in his 39 innings, striking out 33 batters with 11 walks. The Marlins had enough confidence in him to give him two starts in the postseason that year as well, showing plenty of faith in the youngster.

That faith has been somewhat shaken due to his injury situation. The Marlins reportedly had little positive to say about him over the past year, not only putting his effort into question, but making it possible that he could be on the trade block as they pursued upgrades to the lineup. As strange as it may seem, his time with the organization may not be as long as one would have thought.

It is entirely possible that Sanchez can be a part of the Marlins future. These issues could just be a bump in the road as he develops. But this is still something that Miami needs to be concerned about, especially as they look to emerge from their rebuild.

Sixto Sanchez stated that he was completely healthy. As it turns out, the Miami Marlins phenom may not be back until midseason.