Hector Sanchez suffers second concussion while rehabbing from first concussion

By Aaron GleemanAug 20, 2014, 11:19 AM EDT
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Giants catcher Hector Sanchez may be shut down for the season after suffering a second concussion during a minor-league rehab assignment for a July 25 concussion.

Sanchez’s rehab assignment was previously put on hold when he took a foul ball off the mask two weeks ago and that same thing happened Saturday at Triple-A.

Foul tips have been a frequent cause of catcher concussions during the past few seasons and, in one prominent example, led to the Twins shifting former MVP and six-time All-Star catcher Joe Mauer to first base this season.

Sanchez has spent the past three seasons as Buster Posey’s backup and the 24-year-old is unlikely to hit enough to be an asset at another position, so the brain injuries could threaten his career as a big leaguer.

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Félix Hernández to rejoin Mariners’ rotation for final start of 2018

Stephen Brashear/Getty Images
By Bill BaerSep 24, 2018, 4:06 PM EDT
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Mariners starter Félix Hernández will come off of the disabled list to make his final start of 2018 on Wednesday against the Athletics, MLB.com’s Greg Johns reports. Hernández has been on the disabled list since September 8 with a right hamstring strain.

Hernández, 32, has endured the worst season of his 14-year career. He’s 8-13 with a 5.46 ERA and a 121/57 K/BB ratio over 151 2/3 innings. Hernández wants the opportunity to finish 2018 on a good note. He said, “I feel good. No problems. It’s 100 percent. I just want to finish strong and show them I can still pitch. It wasn’t a big injury. They just wanted to give me some rest.”

Hernández is under contract for one more year at $27 million. He has been the face of the franchise for the last decade, but if he doesn’t show he’s capable of beating major league hitters by the end of spring training next year, the Mariners may not be able to afford to give him a spot in the starting rotation. Despite a second-half slide, the Mariners were competitive in the AL West this year, entering the All-Star break 58-39, five games out of first place. With some roster fine-tuning, the Mariners could give the Astros and Athletics a run for their money. Hernández’s involvement with that effort remains to be seen.