Dayan Viciedo out 3-4 weeks with fractured right thumb

Dayan Viciedo left today’s game after being hit on the hand by a pitch and the White Sox just announced that he’s expected to miss 3-4 weeks with a fractured right thumb.

It’s unfortunate timing for Viciedo, as he was seeing action in right field this spring after previously being exclusively a third baseman and first baseman in the minors, but he was unlikely to crack the Opening Day roster anyway.

Today’s injury simply guarantees that he’ll open the season at Triple-A, where he can get more reps in the outfield and work on adding a little plate discipline to his impressive power offensively.

Once healthy he’ll be first in line for a call-up should injuries sideline Paul Konerko, Adam Dunn, Carlos Quentin, Juan Pierre, or Brent Morel, and if he impresses at Triple-A the White Sox may even look to clear room for him by dealing Quentin at some point.

The Blue Jays placed right-hander Aaron Sanchez on the 10-day disabled list with a contusion in his right index finger, per a team announcement on Saturday. The assignment is retroactive to Friday. In a corresponding move, righty Marcus Stroman was activated from the DL (right shoulder fatigue) and will take the mound for the Blue Jays at 9:07 PM ET tonight.

Sanchez, 25, is in his fifth season with the club. He hasn’t looked his sharpest so far this year, going 3-5 in 15 starts with a career-worst 4.52 ERA, 5.1 BB/9 and 7.6 SO/9 through 79 2/3 innings. It’s not yet clear how long he’ll be sidelined, though he could miss as little as one turn in the rotation before returning to the roster in the next week or two.

Sanchez isn’t the only struggling starter in Toronto’s rotation, either. Per MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm, the team placed southpaw Jaime Garcia on the DL (right shoulder tenderness) as well, with lefty reliever Tim Mayza scheduled to take his spot on the roster. In 13 starts this season, Garcia carried a 2-6 record, 6.16 ERA, 4.5 BB/9 and 8.2 SO/9 over 61 1/3 innings. Any further decisions pertaining to the rotation — including Tuesday’s starter against the Astros — have yet to be publicly addressed.