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Sanchez frustrated by recurring finger injury: 'It's not getting any better'

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

As the Toronto Blue Jays slowly begin to receive promising news on the injury front, the same can't be said when it comes to Aaron Sanchez and his lingering finger injury.

The 24-year-old starter, who landed on the disabled list for the third time this year because of the same problem, was understandably frustrated on Tuesday, providing a somber update on the ailment.

"It's not getting any better," Sanchez said, according to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith. "I can't keep having this issue every inning and have to go check. This game's already hard enough to have to go out there and compete.

"I'm beating myself up trying to go in there and pitch through it. It's not doing me any good, it's not doing the team any good."

Sanchez most recently pitched on May 19 against the Baltimore Orioles and lasted six innings with his fastball regularly touching 97 mph. It wasn't until after the game that Sanchez revealed he was, once again, feeling discomfort in the same finger. He was placed on the disabled list less than 24 hours later.

"The only thing that's going to help it heal is not doing anything, not playing catch, just letting it heal," Sanchez said. "It kind of sucks not being able to play catch, but when I play catch it's the last thing that hits my finger, so every single time I'm throwing the ball it's getting hurt and hurt."

The issue first started as a blister that eventually forced Sanchez to visit a finger specialist who removed the nail completely. He's made two starts since, one of which caused his middle finger to bleed on May 14 against the Seattle Mariners.

The Blue Jays, naturally concerned about the status of last year's American League ERA leader, have maintained that there is no timetable for Sanchez's return. The club continues to be without J.A. Happ and Francisco Liriano, though the latter appears closest to coming back.

In five starts this year, Sanchez has combined to a 3.33 ERA with 18 strikeouts and a 1.27 WHIP.

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