Blister problems resurface for Blue Jays' Sanchez

The blister problems that have plagued Aaron Sanchez all season resurfaced Wednesday at Fenway Park, where the 25-year-old was removed from his start against the Boston Red Sox after developing a small blister on his right middle finger, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons told reporters following a 5-1 loss.

Sanchez, whose blister issues have limited him to eight starts in 2017, struggled with his control from the get-go in his third outing since coming off the disabled list, allowing five runs - three earned - while walking five and throwing just 41 of his 79 pitches for strikes over four innings before being removed. According to Gibbons, Sanchez was pulled because another blister had started to develop, not his performance, though both are hopeful the young right-hander got out of the game before it could balloon into a major problem.

"It just started forming mid-way through the game, and I kept going and it got worse, " Sanchez told Sportsnet's Arash Madani. "I think the right thing to do was to kind of catch it before things got worse."

Last time out, Sanchez authored his finest start since his season debut April 8, allowing just one unearned run over six innings against the Detroit Tigers to allay lingering fears over his finicky finger, but he admitted Wednesday he now feels he's "right back to square one."

"One of those things where you take a step forward, and you think you're past it, and you're right back to square one," he said, per Madani.

After leading the American League in ERA in 2016, Sanchez owns a 4.25 ERA over just 36 innings this season, and has issued multiple walks in all but two of his eight starts.