Gary Sánchez DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Baltimore Orioles catcher Gary Sanchez (wrist) took batting practice on the field at Camden Yards on Monday before the series opener against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Sanchez continues to progress from inflammation in his right wrist that has kept him out since April 28. Before getting hurt, Sanchez was serving as the backup to Adley Rutschman and had gone just 3-for-30 (.100) with no homers, four RBI and a run scored. With Sanchez still sidelined, Maverick Handley is working as Rutschman's backup. The 32-year-old Sanchez will need to go on a minor-league rehab assignment before he returns to the major-league roster, so he probably won't return in a backup role until early June. Unless Rutschman misses extended time with an injury this year, Sanchez probably isn't going to see enough playing time to reach double-digit home runs.

The Baltimore Orioles placed catcher Gary Sanchez (wrist) on the 10-day injured list on Monday with right-wrist inflammation and selected the contract of catcher Maverick Handley from Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding move, according to MASN's Roch Kubatko. With Sanchez going on the shelf, Handley will provide catching depth for the O's behind starter Adley Rutschman for the time being. Sanchez has not been on the fantasy radar, even in two-catcher leagues, in 2025. The veteran Dominican backstop went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts over the weekend in two games against the Detroit Tigers and has gone 3-for-30 with four RBI, a run scored, one walk and 12 strikeouts in his first 12 games for the O's in 2025. The two-time All-Star will not have much fantasy appeal in Baltimore once he returns unless Rutschman misses time with an injury.

Baltimore Orioles catcher Gary Sanchez will make his Orioles debut on Saturday afternoon against the Toronto Blue Jays. Sanchez was riding pine during the opening two games of the series but will make his first start as an Oriole behind the dish. As a result, Adley Rutschman will serve as the designated hitter. The Orioles signed Sanchez to a one-year $8.5 million contract in the winter. Last season, Sanchez appeared in 89 contests for the Milwaukee Brewers and posted a .220/.307/.392 slash line with seven doubles and 11 long balls. He generated a modest 10.5 percent barrel rate with a 44.5 percent hard-hit rate. Fantasy managers should expect Sanchez to continue to see a limited role in the Baltimore offense, operating as the No. 2 backstop. He should not be targeted in DFS this afternoon, facing Max Scherzer, who will make his Toronto debut.

The Baltimore Orioles have signed free-agent catcher Gary Sanchez to a one-year, $8.5 million deal. Sanchez will back up frontline catcher Adley Rutschman, but could also DH if need be. The 32-year-old played for Milwaukee last season, slashing .220/.307/.392, including 11 home runs, with a .307 wOBA and 96 wRC+ in 280 plate appearances. The veteran backstop still has plenty of pop in his bat, registering a 10.5% barrel rate last season and a 15.4% rate with 19 home runs in 240 at-bats just two seasons ago in 2023. Coming to Baltimore brings him back to the AL East, the division in which he played in for his first several seasons up through 2021 as a member of the New York Yankees. Unless the Dominican gets regular at-bats, however, he won't be all that relevant for fantasy purposes.

The Milwaukee Brewers reinstated catcher Gary Sanchez (calf) from the 10-day injured list on Wednesday and placed outfielder Christian Yelich (back) on the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. Sanchez isn't in the starting lineup for Wednesday's series finale at Wrigley Field against the division-rival Chicago Cubs, but the 31-year-old veteran backstop figures to be the team's regular DH moving forward now that Yelich is out for the foreseeable future with a nagging back injury. Sanchez has been out the last month with a left-calf strain but is worth rostering in two-catcher leagues due to his power from the right side, at the very least. He hasn't been quite as good as he was with the San Diego Padres in 2023, but Sanchez has contributed seven long balls in 51 games as the primary backup to William Contreras.