NEW YORK — Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez was removed from his start Tuesday night in a 5-1 loss to the New York Mets because of left forearm soreness.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said the team isn’t “expecting structural damage” in Sanchez’s arm, but the team will know more Wednesday if further testing is necessary.
Sanchez said he isn’t concerned about his arm after being evaluated by a doctor.
“I did some movement exercises,” Sanchez said in comments translated from Spanish. “The doctor checked me, all of that. That’s why I’m confident there’s nothing to worry about.”
Sanchez explained he felt uncomfortable from the outset, during his pregame work in the bullpen, but he said he didn’t believe it was an arm issue until after the second inning.
“The pitches weren’t falling,” Sanchez said. “The arm, everything was good, but the pitches weren’t falling and moving like they always move.”
Sanchez exited with the Phillies trailing 2-1 after laboring through his two innings. He threw 33 of his 58 pitches for strikes, and his velocity was a tick down from his usual output. He allowed four hits and two walks while striking out two and throwing a wild pitch.
Thomson said he asked Sanchez if he felt fine following the second inning and decided to remove him from the game when he replied that his arm felt tight. Sanchez was replaced by right-hander Joe Ross to begin the third.
A critical member of Philadelphia’s strong rotation, Sanchez, 28, entered Wednesday with a 2.96 ERA in four outings this season. He struck out a career-high 12 over seven innings in his previous start, a 6-4 win over San Francisco last Thursday.
Sanchez is signed to a $22.5 million, four-year contract through 2028 that includes club options for 2029 and 2030. He was an All-Star last season, when he finished 11-9 with a 3.32 ERA in 31 starts covering 181⅔ innings, and was a trendy preseason pick to emerge as a National League Cy Young Award contender this season. He had never before reached 100 innings in a major league season.
ESPN’s Jorge Castillo contributed to this report.
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