Ryan Doumit out at least a month with fractured left ankle

Ryan Doumit’s collision with Carlos Pena at home plate Sunday wasn’t nearly as scary as Buster Posey’s a few days earlier, but it did leave him with a fractured left ankle, tests Tuesday confirmed.

It’s very disappointing news for the Pirates. Not only was Doumit third on the team with a .774 OPS this season, but the club was hoping he’d build up some trade value before the July 31 deadline. Now it appears that he’s likely done through the All-Star break.

It’s just the latest mishap for Doumit, who has spent time on the disabled list each of the last six years. With a career .268/.332/.438 line, he’s long been a fine hitter. However, he’s played in 100 games just twice as a major leaguer. He had his best season in 2008, hitting .318/.357/.501 with 15 homers in 431 at-bats for Pittsburgh.

The Pirates have been looking to trade Doumit ever since they picked up Chris Snyder last year. He’s currently making $5.1 million in the final season of a three-year, $11.5 million deal. There’s a two-year, $15.5 million option on his deal for 2012-13, but the Pirates, or any team that trades for him, will buy that out for $500,000.

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.