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Terms of the deal were not announced, but Sanchez's salary package was believed to have exceeded the two-year, $10 million contract Pittsburgh offered him shortly before trading him to San Francisco. Sanchez hit .284 with one home run and seven RBIs for the Giants, and .293 with seven homers and 41 RBIs in 111 games overall. Had he remained healthy, he likely would have accumulated the 635 plate appearances he needed to guarantee the $8.1 million club option on his contract for 2010. At 31, Sanchez is fully capable of batting .300 with a dozen homers and 70 RBIs, numbers that would make him a solid yet unspectacular option up the middle.
Acquired at the Trade Deadline to provide some much-needed stability in the Giants' lineup, Sanchez battled shoulder and knee injuries as San Francisco's postseason bid came up short. The Giants face a decision regarding Sanchez, who underwent arthroscopic left knee surgery in late September to repair a torn meniscus. The injury isn't considered serious, so if the Giants don't want to pick up his option, they could offer him a more economical multiyear deal. Potential replacements include Emmanuel Burriss and Kevin Frandsen.
Sanchez, who initially hurt the knee in late July, re-aggravated the injury on Sept. 21. Although a cortisone shot helped Sanchez make it through nearly two months worth of games, the second baseman will ultimately have to get arthroscopic surgery to repair the knee. The procedure isn't expected to interrupt his offseason workout program, so Sanchez should be healthy to start the 2010 season.
The meniscus tear is the same one that sidelined Sanchez around the time of his July 27 trade to San Francisco, and will require at least a few days of rehab. With just 11 days remaining in the season, the Giants (and fantasy owners) are unsure what, if anything, they'll get from Sanchez down the stretch. While Kevin Frandsen filled in after Sanchez left Monday's game, his .146 batting average will likely keep him on the bench in favor of either Juan Uribe or Eugenio Velez. The versatile Velez, who had been playing left field, drew the start at second on Wednesday and seems to be the favorite for playing time there down the stretch. That would mean more time in the outfield for Fred Lewis and John Bowker.
Sanchez appeared to take a bad step upon catching a return throw from Aaron Rowand in the first inning. Shortly after Mark Reynolds had given the D-backs a 2-1 lead with a two-run homer off Barry Zito with two outs, athletic trainer Mark Gruesbeck and manager Bruce Bochy emerged to check on Sanchez, limping around on the field. It was a brief visit. Sanchez limped off the field, leaning on Gruesbeck's right shoulder for support. Kevin Frandsen replaced Sanchez at second base and in the two-hole in the lineup. No word yet on his status going forward.
A good day’s work for Sanchez, who equaled his entire RBI output from the last nine games with one swing of the bat in this one. While he’s batting .289 since being traded to San Francisco, he has only two extra-base hits and seven RBIs in 18 games with his new club.
The second baseman has been out since Aug. 17, covering a span of 19 ballgames. He can certainly help owners in the batting average category, given that he holds a .297 mark, good for fifth in the Majors. Sanchez's return incited a domino effect through the rest of the Giants' infield. Juan Uribe shifted from second to third base, putting Pablo Sandoval at first base in place of the Travis Ishikawa/Ryan Garko tandem.
Batting fourth for the first time all season, Uribe entered Sunday's game in Milwaukee with six home runs in his previous 19 games, batting .288 over that stretch. His home run Saturday proved crucial in a 3-2 victory. Bochy said there was no way he could take Uribe from the lineup when second baseman Freddy Sanchez returned from a rehab assignment Monday. That would necessitate playing Uribe at third base and shifting Pablo Sandoval to first base -- where he's only played 18 games. "[Uribe's] our hottest hitter right now," Bochy said Sunday.
Sanchez played one more time for Triple-A Fresno on Saturday, preempting manager Bruce Bochy to label him ready for Labor Day. "He's going to bet four at-bats today, take the day off tomorrow and meet us back in San Francisco," Bochy said on Saturday.
Velez has filled in very well for the ailing Freddy Sanchez at second base, but the Giants are likely to find a role for 27-year-old even after Sanchez makes his way back to the lineup. Velez's .323 on-base percentage isn't ideal for a leadoff hitter, but it's as close to ideal as the Giants get, and should get him more opportunities at the top of the order. Velez's multi-position eligibility, hot bat -- he has four multi-hit efforts in his last seven starts -- and stolen base chops make him worth a look in NL-only leagues.
Sanchez, who went 1-for-3 in a rehab game for Triple-A Fresno on Thursday, was originally slated to come back Sept. 7. "He felt good and swung the bat well," manager Bruce Bochy said of Sanchez's appearance on Thursday. Juan Uribe has been manning second base in his absence.
Sabean's comments contradict those from Sanchez, who said that he'd like to begin a Minor League injury rehabilitation assignment as soon as possible if his shoulder responded well to hitting off a tee Tuesday. Stay tuned.
Sanchez, who was acquired by the Giants from the Padres on July 31, hadn't played since Aug. 17, a stretch of seven games. Owners should be able to get the second baseman and his .297 batting average back soon. His retroactive period enables him to be activated from the DL on Sept. 2. Rohlinger has a .094 batting mark with two RBIs in 32 at-bats for the big club, although he has hit .281 with 16 homers and 78 RBIs for Fresno. Juan Uribe and Eugenio Velez should continue to share time at second base, although Velez has been awarded the last two starts.
Sanchez's situation has been the epitome of the "day-to-day" diagnosis, with the Giants falling victim to enough uncertainty with his situation to keep him out of the lineup but off the disabled list. Sanchez was optimistic about being ready to play Tuesday when the Giants host the D-backs, and he has tried to balance some work in the batting cage with a careful approach to resting his sore shoulder in hopes of being fully ready when the Giants return home. He's already undergone an MRI, which will be examined Tuesday by Giants team doctors.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy left open the possibility of Sanchez missing more time. "Whether we give him some more tests, we'll probably talk about that after the game," Bochy said. Sanchez had an MRI before the team's current 11-game road trip. The MRI showed no significant damage, so, as Bochy said, they didn't place Sanchez on the disabled list.
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