National League batting champion Freddy Sanchez might begin this season in the same place he was on opening day last year: on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ bench.
Sanchez, out since March 6 with a sprained ligament in his right knee, isn’t ready to play, and the Pirates are weighing whether he should go on the disabled list, even if it is for only a week.
“I don’t know,” Sanchez said Sunday. “There’s no timetable, none at all. We have to wait and see what happens. We have to see where we’re at and what we’re going to do.”
Sanchez is hitting, fielding groundballs and running straight ahead but can’t run the bases at full speed. Until he can, he won’t get enough at-bats to prepare for the season.
The injury, which occurred as Sanchez turned a double play at second base in an exhibition game against Philadelphia, has lingered much longer than the Pirates and Sanchez thought it would and has forced him to miss nearly three weeks of game action.
“Running the bases is still what he has a little bit of reservation about,” manager Jim Tracy said. “He did all of his work – he turned double plays …
“When Freddy gets to the point where has no mental reservation about what he is trying to do, we’ll be ready to move forward.”
The Pirates could place Sanchez on the disabled list when camp ends and backdate it nine days, but he would still miss the first week of the season.
John Grabow, expected to be one of two left-handed relievers in the bullpen, remains bothered by an inflamed elbow and might also start the season on the disabled list.
Orioles: Hayden Penn and Kurt Birkins were optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, along with utility player Brandon Fahey.
The team also reassigned pitchers Jon Leicester and Rob Bell to their minor-league camp in Sarasota.
In addition, Baltimore sent right-hander Sendy Rleal to minor-league camp to continue rehabbing a sore right elbow that has kept him sidelined since March 6. He remains on the camp roster, but has virtually no chance of opening the season with the team.
Nationals: Travis Lee asked for and was granted his unconditional release, making Dmitri Young the starter at first.
Right-hander Tim Redding was sent outright to Triple-A Columbus, which solidifies Jerome Williams’ spot in the rotation.
Mets: Mike Pelfrey, a 23-year-old right-hander who was the ninth overall pick in the 2005 draft out of Wichita State, was named to the starting rotation, joining Tom Glavine, Orlando Hernandez, John Maine and Oliver Perez.
Cardinals: Center fielder Jim Edmonds took a big leap toward being ready for opening day, playing in his first spring training game, a 6-5 loss to Baltimore in Jupiter, Fla.
Edmonds has spent the spring recovering from offseason shoulder and toe surgeries.
Mariners: Closer J.J. Putz, recovering from a mild right elbow strain, threw 25 pitches in a bullpen session and will pitch in a minor-league game Tuesday. If all goes well, he will pitch Friday in Las Vegas against the Chicago Cubs.
Dodgers: Right-hander Brett Tomko will be the fifth starter in the rotation, manager Grady Little announced.
Left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo, who fell out of contention for the fifth spot in the rotation due to a sore shoulder, will go through two to three weeks of rehabilitation before throwing.
