TORONTO -- The Blue Jays officially announced on Sunday evening that Aaron Sanchez will not pitch again this season because of a blister on his right middle finger.
The news hardly came as a surprise after Toronto manager John Gibbons admitted the day before that Sanchez was "running out of time" to get back on the mound. Sanchez hadn't pitched since July 19 because of the blister that had been plaguing him all season.
"Sanchy's making progress but we're getting to the point of the season, can he crank it up enough? He might be past that," Gibbons said Saturday. "I think we're running out of time there."
Sanchez developed the blister in early April and made four separate trips to the disabled list because of it. He was limited to 36 innings this season, and no matter how long he rested, the blister quickly reappeared after throwing. Sanchez initially was hoping to return out of the bullpen in September, but that was ruled out after he threw off flat ground at Fenway Park early last week.