Sixto Sanchez's future with the Miami Marlins

Yesterday I wrote about some injury updates on Miami Marlins players. One of the players that I was talking about happened to be injured pitcher Sixto Sanchez. As if on cue, we now have more information on him. I also began to think about what his future on the team even looks like. Will he ver make the team's rotation again? Is his future in the bullpen? Does he have a future on the team at all?

What kind of future does Sixto Sanchez have on the Miami Marlins?

It's hard to even remember that there was a time when Sixto Sanchez was an elite prospect acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies. He was supposed to be a future ace for the rotation and help build the next contending Miami Marlins team. That of course didn't happen, as Sixto only pitched in the shortened 2020 season.

In the 2020 season, Sixto Sanchez delivered a 3.46 ERA/3.50 FIP, with 7.6 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 7 games and 39.0 innings pitched. It was a promising debut that was worth 1.5 WAR. He never followed that up, as he missed time since then due to shoulder issues. Sixto had multiple setbacks and it was only recently that he finally got back to the mound. He pitched an inning in Double A, striking out two batters, giving up a single and a walk.

So what does kind of future does Sixto Sanchez have on the Miami Marlins? He'll certainly be on a major innings limit, and it's unclear if he even has a real chance at cracking the rotation. Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez are not going anywhere as the dual aces. Jesus Luzardo is a lock to stay in the top three as well. Braxton Garrett earned a spot going forward with his 3.82 ERA/3.69 FIP. There's also a returning former ace in Trevor Rogers and a high upside arm in Edward Cabrera.

Maybe a 6-man rotation can solve this logjam? Perhaps, but it also limits the innings of lite arms. There's still too many pitchers for the six spots. Could his future be in the bullpen? The Miami Marlins have the best closer in the game so would Sixto help the bullpen further? He's not eligible for free agency until after the 2028 season.