Blue Jays outfielder Jesús Sánchez went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and was hit by a pitch during Triple-A Buffalo’s 5-4 win over Lehigh Valley on Wednesday as he nears activation off the injured list, where he’s been since late June due to a right ankle sprain. He played seven innings in left field before being replaced by a pinch-hitter in the eighth.
Wednesday’s rehab game was Sánchez’s first with Buffalo after he played one game for Toronto’s Florida Complex League club and two with Single-A Dunedin. Over those three contests, the 28-year-old was 1-for-7 (.143) with a pair of walks.
The Jays’ targeted return for Sánchez has been the end of this month, and as we approach August, he seems to be in line for an imminent return after Wednesday’s performance.
Prior to his injury, Sánchez had a .274/.316/.437 slash line with seven home runs in 234 plate appearances for Toronto after the Blue Jays acquired him in an offseason trade with the Astros.
Also on a rehab assignment is the Blue Jays’ No. 10 prospect per MLB Pipeline, left-hander Ricky Tiedemann. Tiedemann experienced left elbow soreness as he continued his recovery from 2024 Tommy John surgery, but he made his first appearance in a professional game in 706 days on June 16, pitching for the FCL club.
Following that start, he was scratched from his next appearance due to a neck issue. He returned to the mound earlier this month, making another start for the FCL team before pitching in a game for Dunedin.
On Wednesday, Tiedemann was back on the mound for Dunedin, throwing a scoreless sixth inning with a strikeout in a 14-9 win over St. Lucie. The Jays hope to build Tiedemann up to the point where he’s pitching regularly out of the bullpen in Triple-A.