Sánchez set to make first MLB start in two years

Aníbal Sánchez last took the mound for a major league game Sept. 26, 2020, going 5 1/3 innings to beat the Mets. Since then, he has sat out an entire season, re-signed with the Nationals on a minor league deal, thought he made the Opening Day 2022 roster, proceeded to spend the next 3 1/2 months on the injured list with a neck ailment suffered on the charter flight north from spring training and made four minor league rehab starts.

All of which will lead to the sight of Sánchez taking the mound at Nationals Park on Thursday to face the Braves, his first big league start in nearly 22 months.

“He’s excited about it, and I’m excited for him,” manager Davey Martinez said Tuesday in announcing the decision. “He put himself through a lot to get back.”

Yes, he did. What initially figured to be a minor annoyance, a quick stint on the IL to begin the season, instead turned into an agonizing wait for Sánchez, who at various points along the way thought he was healthy again, only to experience more neck discomfort when he tried to ramp up his throwing program.

At last, though, he’s good to go. The 38-year-old made it through one rehab start at the club’s spring training complex in West Palm Beach, then three starts for Triple-A Rochester, and convinced team officials he was ready to come off the IL and finally make his season debut.

What can the Nationals reasonably expect from the veteran right-hander? That’s a different question. Though he was an integral part of their 2019 World Series champion rotation, flirting with a no-hitter in St. Louis in the National League Championship Series, Sánchez hasn’t come close to that level of performance since.

He went 4-5 with a 6.62 ERA and 1.660 WHIP in 11 starts during the truncated 2020 season, never feeling fully like himself. And when no teams came through with a major league offer for him the following winter, he chose to sit out the 2021 season and spend his time with family.

Sánchez never said he was retiring, though, so when the Nats came calling this spring with a minor league deal and an opportunity to make the team, he took them up on the offer. It just took several months longer than expected to be ready to do it.

“Now we’re at a point where he felt great,” Martinez said. “He went down, he did everything he needed to do to get back. I’m looking forward to getting him back out there and pitching again. Look, he was a big part of ’19 for us. I’m looking forward to watching him go out there and compete.”

Why is Sánchez here, pitching for a team on pace for more than 100 losses, clearly not a part of the long-term plan? Yes, there’s some sense of loyalty from the Nationals to a guy who helped them with a title in the recent past. But there’s also a need for anyone to start games for them right now.

With Joan Adon back at Triple-A to get himself better, Jackson Tetreault and Evan Lee on the IL and Cade Cavalli still pitching every fifth day in Rochester, the Nats didn’t have anyone else to turn to as their No. 5 starter.

So Sánchez is getting the call. How long this lasts is anybody’s guess. But for now, the 38-year-old is poised to make his return to a major league mound.