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How Jesus Sanchez could help Diamondbacks ahead of Yankees series
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- How Jesus Sanchez could help Diamondbacks ahead of Yankees series
How Jesus Sanchez could help Diamondbacks ahead of Yankees series originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Arizona Diamondbacks are in a tight race for the third and final National League Wild Card spot.
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As of Thursday morning, the NL West club is 3.5 games behind the San Diego Padres , whom they play a three-game series against on the final days of the regular season.
To increase their chances, the Diamondbacks needed to increase their production against right-handed pitching.
That's one of the main reasons Arizona decided to claim outfielder Jesus Sanchez off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays .
"The Diamondbacks are hopeful Jesus Sanchez will help. Sanchez, the 28-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder, was plucked off waivers Monday to help Arizona with its .683 OPS against right-handed pitching, second-worst in the majors," ESPN's Alden Gonzalez wrote .
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The Blue Jays rarely exposed Sanchez against left-handed pitching, and he had a .406 OPS in 31 at-bats against southpaws.
But the seven-year veteran is hitting .272/.328/.440 with eight home runs and a .769 OPS in 243 at-bats against right-handers in 2026.
MORE: MLB insider accuses Shohei Ohtani of misleading Dodgers about injury issues
Not stellar numbers, but good enough for the D-Backs to give him an opportunity.
However, Sanchez will be ineligible to be on Arizona's postseason roster if they make it that far. He was claimed on Sept. 14, and a player must be in an organization's system before midnight on Aug. 31 to be eligible.
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The New York Yankees will have three ( Gerrit Cole , Cam Schlittler , Will Warren ) righty starters this weekend, so expect to see Sanchez in the lineup at least two of those three days.
