Marlins recall OF prospect Sánchez

Marlins fans have been clamoring for the return of outfield prospect Jesús Sánchez, and their wish was granted. Miami recalled Sánchez from Triple-A Jacksonville, and he started in left field and hit fifth in Tuesday night's 2-1 loss to the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. MLB Pipeline’s No. 99 overall prospect went hitless in four at-bats, but he showcased his toolset. His groundout in the first had an exit velocity of 103.5 mph, while his 29.8 ft/sec sprint speed on a grounder to third was near elite (30 ft/sec).

"I thought Jesús looked good," manager Don Mattingly said. "His at-bats were good, they were competitive, was in the strike zone. Looked like he got some pitches to hit. The first time he scalded that ball, maybe got a little excited there in the third; has a chance to put a ball in play and kind of ends up not being able to move the runner or get him in. Other than that, I thought his at-bats looked competitive, I thought he looked good, swing looked good."

The circumstances of Sánchez's return to the big leagues aren't great, with veteran Corey Dickerson heading to the IL after undergoing an MRI on his left foot. Had it not been for Dickerson's injury, this move might've come closer to the Trade Deadline. Miami's starting outfield of Dickerson, Starling Marte and Adam Duvall have expiring contracts, and the club's position in the standings could determine whether it will be in "buy" or "sell" mode. That trio is blocking prospects, who missed out on a full year of development in 2020 and could use everyday reps.

When asked last week whether prospects like Sánchez might be called up come August, Marlins general manager Kim Ng said this: "I think for a small number of them, yes."

Sánchez was doing all he could to warrant a callup. Entering Tuesday, he ranked among the Triple-A East leaders in the following categories:

• .349 average (second)

• .643 slugging percentage (second)

• 1.043 OPS (second)

• 28 RBIs (T-third)

• .400 on-base percentage (T-sixth)

• Nine homers (T-sixth)

“I was just focused on Triple-A,” Sánchez said via an interpreter. “Triple-A was my big league at that time, so I was focused on that, enjoying the game. I didn't want to fill my head with too many thoughts, so just focus on that league.”

The 23-year-old Sánchez recently reentered MLB Pipeline's top 100 list with the Rays' Shane McClanahan graduating from prospect status. He earned his first callup in 2020, going 1-for-25 with 11 strikeouts and four walks before being sent back to the alternate training site. Without a Minor League season, Sánchez played 10 games in the Dominican Republic Winter League. This past Spring Training, he sustained a right groin strain that limited him to eight at-bats.

According to Pipeline's scouting report, Sánchez has the following grades on the 20-80 scale:

• 55 -- Hit, field, arm

• 50 -- Run, power

• 55 -- Overall

Pipeline goes on to say that Sánchez has a smooth left-handed stroke, with quality bat speed and a propensity for hard contact. If he can become more selective and add some loft to his swing, he could develop into a .280 hitter with 25-homer pop. The corners are a better fit for his average speed, and his solid arm plays well in right.

"He got injured there in Spring Training, so he didn't have the normal build-up that other guys have had, but he's in incredible shape right now, he's super strong, and he's sticking to his plan," Marlins director of Minor League operations Geoff DeGroot told MLB.com in mid-May. "I think last year going up to the big leagues and having to go through those struggles up there that he did prepared him all that much more for this season. I think he learned a lot from that, something he's never experienced before, and it kind of fueled his fire a bit, and it's something that has given him a lot of momentum actually going into this year. It's never happened to him before -- never struggled, never been sent down. I think he kind of took that and used it as motivation going into this offseason to kind of fuel his work."

In Year 4 of the Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter-led ownership group, it is time for position-player prospects to produce at the big league level. Sánchez was acquired as part of the Nick Anderson-Trevor Richards trade with the Rays in 2019. Rookie infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., who is becoming one of the more exciting players in The Show after a cup of coffee in 2020, was also dealt to the Marlins that Deadline.

While there are now five outfielders on the active roster in Sánchez, Lewis Brinson (also recalled Tuesday), Marte, Duvall and Magneuris Sierra, the Marlins only have five infielders: Jesús Aguilar and prospect Lewin Díaz (first base), Jon Berti (second), Chisholm (shortstop) and Isan Díaz (third). Shortstop Miguel Rojas was set to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville Tuesday, while middle infielder José Devers went on the IL Monday and third baseman Brian Anderson was transferred to the 60-day IL.

"I haven't really tried to put a plan together," Mattingly said. "Obviously this thing's happened pretty fast with Dickey, but Jesús has been pretty good, so we'll probably see him out there quite a bit."