Aaron Sanchez had surgery to repair a torn capsule in his right shoulder, which kept him from pitching in the majors in 2020’s 60-game COVID campaign, and the right-handed starter had a biceps issue which limited him to just nine games (seven starts) and 35 1⁄3 IP with the San Francisco Giants in 2021, after he signed a 1-year/$4M deal with the club.
This time around, Sanchez, 29, got a 1-year/$2M contract from Washington (which includes up to $4M in performance bonuses), and he started the season at Triple-A Rochester in the Nationals’ system, but came back up to the majors to start against the Giants last weekend in the nation’s capital, giving up six hits, a walk, and four earned runs in 4 1⁄3 IP.