Jesús Sánchez DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Miami Marlins outfielder Jesus Sanchez (oblique) and right-hander Declan Cronin (hip) will start their minor-league rehab assignments with Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday night, according to the team. Sanchez is finally ready to return to game action after suffering a strained left oblique in mid-March during spring training. If the 27-year-old doesn't suffer any setbacks with the Jumbo Shrimp, he could be activated from the injured list to make his 2025 debut at some point next week. When healthy, Sanchez should be Miami's starting right fielder and can be useful in mixed fantasy leagues due to his power/speed combination. When he makes contact, he hits the ball as hard as anyone in the league. However, Sanchez will need to hit the ball in the air more and strikeout out less in order to achieve his first 20-homer season in 2025.

Miami Marlins outfielder Jesus Sanchez (oblique) isn't expected to return for four weeks after being diagnosed with a left-oblique strain. Sanchez initially suffered the oblique injury in Thursday's Grapefruit League game, and he will now be forced to miss the start of the 2025 regular season. The 27-year-old won't be eligible to return to the Fish until April 6, but he might be forced to miss more time than that. It's a tough break for Sanchez, who was in line to be the team's regular right fielder. Now that he'll miss the start of the season, young outfielder Griffin Conine should see most of the playing time in right field in South Beach until Sanchez recovers. The Dominican outfielder hit .252/.313/.417 with career-highs in home runs (18), RBI (64), steals (16) and runs (60) in 149 games in 2024 in his fifth year in the league. Sanchez hits the ball as hard as anyone, but he needs to hit the ball in the air more to reach the 20-homer mark.

Miami Marlins outfielder Jesus Sanchez (side) was forced from Thursday's Grapefruit League outing against the Houston Astros in the fourth inning. Sanchez went 2-for-3 with a single and a double but was pulled precautionarily after manager Clayton McCullough "didn't like [his] mannerisms" while standing at second base. When asked about it after the game, the 27-year-old merely pointed at his side. Fortunately, it doesn't appear to be a big deal at this time. Still, side injuries are never good news. Sanchez hits the ball hard often, ranking in the 95th percentile in 2024 with a 51.3% hard-hit rate. He swiped 16 bags last season and hit .305 in September across 85 at-bats -- nearly 40 points better than in any other month. He's being selected inside the top 300 in fantasy drafts and holds some sleeper appeal if he can replicate his late-season form from a year ago.