The buzz surrounding Giancarlo Stanton’s early slump in pinstripes has partially shrouded the hitting woes of Gary Sanchez. But the young catcher isn’t too concerned about his plate approach.
“I’m hitting the ball well right now but I’m not getting the results,” Sanchez told the New York Daily News on Wednesday. “Eventually, I know I’ll get out of it. Everybody goes through this rough patch. Eventually, I’ll get out of it.”
A rough patch, it is. Although the sample size is small at this point in the season, Sanchez is just 2-for-36 — which is a measly .056 batting average — with a home run, six strikeouts, three RBI, and no walks in nine games.
Sanchez missed two games over the weekend due to leg cramps, but he returned to the lineup on Tuesday night as the cleanup designated hitter against the Red Sox. His bat speed hasn’t disappeared, nor has exit velocity. The only issue is that Sanchez isn’t finding any holes.
“He’s struggling right now,” general manager Brian Cashman told the Daily News. “He’s someone that you never typically worry about as a hitter, so he’s hitting the ball hard — but some of it’s on the ground.
“He struggled I remember in 2016 in spring training to start out and obviously it took a while to get him going, so I don’t know if there’s any similarities to that, so he’s had those types of struggles before.
“Overall he’ll get though it probably sooner than later. He’s someone who as long as there isn’t anything physical going on, and there isn’t, he’ll catch up to where he’s supposed to be sooner than later, I’m sure.”
Sanchez will catch and hit fifth in the order when the Yankees face Red Sox southpaw David Price on Wednesday night.
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