The Arizona Diamondbacks have designated outfielder Jesús Sánchez for assignment, ending a two-week experiment that never quite took, via the MLB transaction log.
Manager Torey Lovullo told reporters the move would be made before Saturday’s game in San Diego, and the club later confirmed it, calling up catcher Adrián Del Castillo from Triple-A in the corresponding transaction.
The roster shuffle was driven by catcher Gabriel Moreno, who left Friday’s 11-4 win over the Padres with a “tender” left hamstring. Lovullo said the injury did not look serious.
Moreno was expected to serve as the designated hitter Saturday rather than go on the injured list, leaving Arizona short a catcher if it wanted extra depth for the final weekend. Sánchez, used almost exclusively as a DH, became the odd man out.
Arizona had claimed the 28-year-old left-handed hitter off waivers from Toronto on Sept. 14, after the Blue Jays designated him for assignment.
The Diamondbacks hoped a change of scenery would help him against right-handed pitching, a season-long club weakness. It did not. Sánchez managed just two hits in 16 plate appearances with Arizona.
For the year, he finished at .254 with eight home runs and a .712 OPS over 284 at-bats, including a .260/.318/.416 line in 299 plate appearances for Toronto.
The timing made the DFA easier. Because Sánchez joined Arizona after the Sept. 1 postseason-eligibility cutoff, he could not have been added to a playoff roster even if the Diamondbacks sneak into the Wild Card race.
With two games left in the regular season, another waiver claim is unlikely.
He is expected to clear waivers and be released. Arbitration-eligible for a third and final time this winter after earning $6.8 million in 2026, he may now reach the open market early and look for a minor-league deal to rebuild his value.
Sánchez debuted with Miami in 2020 and later played for Houston before the February 2026 trade that sent him to Toronto for Joey Loperfido.
A 6-foot-3 corner outfielder from Higüey, Dominican Republic, he has 81 career home runs but has never locked down a full-time role. Arizona’s brief look was another reminder of that gap between tools and consistent production.
For the Diamondbacks, the move is about insurance more than talent evaluation. Del Castillo gives them a third catcher while Moreno eases back. Sánchez’s Arizona chapter lasted less than two weeks.
The team’s playoff push, and his next opportunity, will both be decided without him in uniform.
