The Arizona Diamondbacks have made another aggressive roster move as they fight to keep their postseason hopes alive, claiming outfielder Jesús Sánchez off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays.
Arizona announced the move Monday, just days after Toronto designated Sánchez for assignment. The Diamondbacks are hoping the left-handed hitter can provide an immediate boost against right-handed pitching during the final stretch of the regular season. With Arizona sitting just 2.5 games behind San Diego for the final National League Wild Card position and only 12 games remaining, the timing of the move makes the addition particularly significant.
Sánchez, 28, brings seven seasons of major-league experience to Arizona and has spent time with the Miami Marlins, Houston Astros and Blue Jays. Toronto acquired him from Houston in February in exchange for outfielder Joey Loperfido, hoping that his combination of left-handed power and experience would strengthen its outfield. While Sánchez showed flashes of that potential, his overall production and defensive performance eventually led the Blue Jays to move on.
In 99 games with Toronto this season, Sánchez hit .260 with a .318 on-base percentage, a .416 slugging percentage, eight home runs and 35 RBIs. Those numbers were not disastrous offensively, but they fell short of what Toronto hoped to receive from him, particularly after he struggled to regain his form following an ankle injury. Sánchez missed more than a month after suffering a right ankle sprain in late June and returned to the Blue Jays on July 31. After returning, however, he went just 11-for-54, a .203 batting average, with one home run and six RBIs.
His defensive struggles also became a major factor in Toronto’s decision. Sánchez committed three errors and posted a .955 fielding percentage, while his defensive metrics were among the biggest concerns surrounding his performance. That is one reason Arizona is not necessarily viewing him as an everyday corner outfielder. Instead, the Diamondbacks appear more interested in what his bat can provide, particularly as a designated hitter or platoon option.
That offensive fit is important because Arizona has spent much of the season searching for a reliable left-handed hitter who can punish right-handed pitching. Sánchez has a career reputation for possessing legitimate power, and although his overall 2026 numbers were modest, he has produced better results when facing right-handers. That makes him particularly attractive to the Diamondbacks as they attempt to solve one of their most persistent offensive weaknesses.
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo has acknowledged that right-handed pitching has been a problem for the club, and Sánchez gives the team another option to attack those matchups. Rather than asking him to immediately become an everyday defensive player, the Diamondbacks can maximize his strengths by placing him in situations where his left-handed swing gives the lineup a better chance to generate offense.
Sánchez also has a history of showing the type of power Arizona believes it can unlock. During his time with Miami, he established himself as a dangerous hitter capable of producing home-run power, and he finished the 2023 and 2024 seasons with a combined 32 home runs and 116 RBIs. Earlier this season with Toronto, he provided a glimpse of that upside when he hit the first grand slam of his major-league career against the Marlins in May.
The Diamondbacks are taking a calculated gamble that a change of scenery can help bring some of that production back.
The move also comes immediately after Arizona made another significant outfield decision. The Diamondbacks designated veteran Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for assignment Sunday, opening a spot for another player while signaling that the club is no longer willing to wait for struggling veterans to rediscover their form. Gurriel had hit just .210 with two home runs and 22 RBIs in 51 games during an injury-plagued 2026 season.
Sánchez therefore arrives at a particularly important moment for the Diamondbacks. Arizona is not making this move with next season in mind; the priority is winning immediately.
The club entered Monday with a 79-71 record and trailing the Padres by 2.5 games for the final NL Wild Card spot. With only 12 games left, every lineup decision carries increased importance. Arizona’s remaining schedule includes a series against Miami, a challenging matchup with the New York Yankees and a closing road trip through Colorado and San Diego. The final series against the Padres could potentially have enormous postseason implications.
That schedule makes Sánchez’s ability to contribute quickly especially valuable. There is very little time for Arizona to experiment with different lineup combinations. If the Diamondbacks can immediately use him in favorable matchups against right-handed starters and relievers, his arrival could give Lovullo another weapon during the most important portion of the season.
The move also represents a return to the National League for Sánchez. He spent the first several years of his career with Miami before moving to Houston and eventually Toronto. His familiarity with National League competition could help ease the transition, although his immediate role is expected to be determined by matchups and how quickly he settles into Arizona’s system.
For the Blue Jays, meanwhile, the move brings an end to a short and uneven chapter. Toronto entered the season expecting Sánchez to contribute power and depth to an already crowded outfield, but the combination of his injury, offensive inconsistency and defensive problems ultimately made his roster spot expendable. Toronto designated him for assignment on September 11 and promoted Rudy Martin Jr. from Triple-A Buffalo.
For Arizona, the calculation is different. The Diamondbacks do not need Sánchez to become a star. They need him to provide quality at-bats, especially against right-handed pitching, and potentially deliver a few timely extra-base hits during the final weeks of the playoff race.
That could make this one of the more intriguing low-cost additions of the postseason chase.
Sánchez is not coming to Arizona without flaws. His defense has been a significant liability, his overall offensive production has declined from his better seasons, and his post-injury numbers with Toronto were disappointing. But the Diamondbacks are betting that his left-handed swing and previous power production can outweigh those concerns if he is deployed correctly.
With the season rapidly approaching its conclusion, Arizona has little room for error. The Diamondbacks have already made several roster adjustments in an attempt to strengthen the club, and the Sánchez addition continues that aggressive approach.
Now the challenge is turning his potential into production.
If Sánchez can rediscover the power that once made him an intriguing young hitter, Arizona could have found an important late-season weapon. If he struggles to adjust again, the Diamondbacks may have very little time to find another answer.
Either way, the message from Arizona is clear: the Diamondbacks are still fighting for October, and they are willing to make changes to give themselves a chance.
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