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Rob Thomson Shares Hopeful Update on Cristopher Sánchez

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Mike Ostrowski | Last updated Apr 22, 2025 11:15 PM ET

Something seemed off with Cristopher Sánchez pretty quickly on Tuesday night. Following up a career-best 12 strikeout performance, it took him 37 pitches to just get three outs.

After 21 more pitches and two mound visits, Sánchez's night was unceremoniously done.

The rising star of Philly's rotation left the game with left forearm soreness, completing just two innings - his shortest start since 2021. He allowed four hits and two walks, only striking out two, before being pulled.

After the game, manager Rob Thomson had some news that should let Phillies fans exhale the breath they've been holding in the past few hours.

"We do not expect any structural damage," Thomson said during the NBC Sports Philadelphia postgame show. "We'll reevaluate him and know in the next couple of days."

Thomson said that he removed Sánchez once he gave him a less-than-convincing answer about how he felt after the second inning. Much like with Taijuan Walker this past weekend, he wasn't going to take a chance this early in the season.

"He said 'My arm is a little bit tight,' and I said 'OK, that's it, we're done.'"

The Phillies are calling it “left forearm tightness” for Cristopher Sánchez. Rob Thomson said they’re not expecting structural damage but they will know more in the next couple days.

Sánchez said he first started to feel the tightness after the second inning.
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Sánchez has only gone on the IL once in his career - he missed the first three weeks of 2023 with a left triceps strain. Should he end up missing a start or two now, there are some temporary fixes to choose from.

The Phillies have three of the next 13 days off, so it shouldn't be too difficult to shuffle the starting rotation a bit. Joe Ross, who has starting experience, looked serviceable in three innings of relief Tuesday while throwing 51 pitches - he could make a spot start in Cris's spot if needed.

Meanwhile, Ranger Suárez continues to build his stamina back up and could also be back with the Phillies sometime next week.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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