San Diego Padres catcher Gary Sánchez suffered a fractured wrist on Wednesday, manager Bob Melvin told reporters following his club's 5-1 loss to the Phillies.
Sánchez sustained the injury in the eighth inning when he was struck on the wrist by a 98-mph fastball from Phillies reliever Jeff Hoffman. He remained in the game while on the bases but was replaced between innings. Given the serious nature of the injury and the late stage of the season, Sánchez is presumably done for 2023.
He's been a welcome addition to the Padres this season. After being claimed off waivers from the Mets in late May, Sánchez put up an OPS of .778 with 19 home runs in 72 games for San Diego. Given the team's struggles to get production from the catcher position before he came along, it's no stretch to call him a savior in a lost season.
As for the lost season part, the Padres came into the 2023 season with a star-laden roster and the highest payroll of any team not located in New York City. Those praiseworthy investments and high expectations, however, did not yield the desired results. Wednesday's loss drops the Padres to 66-75 on the season, and they're now seven games out of the final wild-card spot in the National League. In that sense, the loss of Sánchez, one of their bright spots this season, is just the latest blow for San Diego.
