Gary Sanchez, a veteran of 11 Major League Baseball seasons with six different teams, will return to LIDOM this coming season with the Gigantes del Cibao.
Sanchez made his MLB debut with the New York Yankees in 2015 and finished second in the American League MVP balloting the next year despite having played just 53 games after hitting 20 homers and driving in 42 runs in his abbreviated season. In total, Sanchez has played .224/.309/.461 with a .770 OPS, 189 homers and 509 RBIs in 859 MLB games with the Yankees, New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, and Baltimore Orioles.
He’s appeared in 56 LIDOM games over five seasons with the Toros del Este and the Leones del Escogido, who selected Sanchez in the 2011 LIDOM rookie draft, batting .215 in 158 at-bats with seven homers and 28 RBIs.
“Gary Sánchez is a catcher with a long history and quality. He arrives in excellent condition, and we know he will bring his leadership and experience to our team. We offer him the warmest welcome to the Gigantes del Cibao family,” said Gigantes chief operating officer Alfredo Acebal Rizek in a release on the LIDOM website.
This past season, Sanchez appeared in 30 games with Baltimore, hitting five homers and driving in 24 runs in 91 at-bats. He missed significant time with a right knee sprain and right wrist inflammation, and his one-year, $8.5 million deal with the Orioles expires at the end of the season, leaving him an unrestricted free agent. Sanchez has been placed on the Injured List four times in the last three seasons, and hasn’t played 100 games in an MLB season since 2022, when he played 128 games with Minnesota.
A healthy Sanchez could be a scary hitter in the Gigantes lineup, though he will likely play a limited number of games with Cibao while trying to regain form in hopes of signing another free agent deal in MLB.
Last season, five different catchers split duty behind the plate for the Gigantes, including former MLB catchers Joe Hudson and Deivy Grullón, as well as Andrew Knizner, who saw significant time with the San Francisco Giants this season. Their best production behind the plate came from former Washington Nationals farmhand Geraldi Diaz, who went 17-for-49 in 25 games with 11 RBIs.
Photo: Baltimore Orioles catcher Gary Sanchez reacts after Texas Rangers’ Corey Seager scored a run during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
