Blue Jays expect Sanchez to be ready for spring after finger surgery

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Aaron Sanchez underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair the index finger on his pitching hand, general manager Ross Atkins told Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. The team expects he will be ready for spring training.

After an encouraging All-Star campaign in 2016 when Sanchez went 15-2 with a 3.00 ERA over 192 innings, he has been beset by finger issues. He nearly missed the entire 2017 campaign because of blisters.

His most recent injury apparently stemmed from an incident where his finger got stuck on the handle of a suitcase.

There remains cause for optimism, however. Despite a mixed bag of results in 2018, Sanchez has put together some encouraging outings. He held the Boston Red Sox to one run on three hits over seven innings while striking out six on Sept. 12.