Tigers place Anibal Sanchez, Soria on disabled list

According to Jason Beck of MLB.com, the Tigers are placing starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez on the disabled list with a right pectoral strain:

President/GM Dave Dombrowski said the timetable is relatively flexible on Sanchez, depending on how quickly the pectoralis major muscle heals. However, Dombrowski said he anticipates Sanchez missing 3-4 weeks.

That's three to four weeks where the Tigers will be without one of their better starting pitchers, and instead will rely upon the relative inexperience of Robbie Ray, who has 15.1 innings of major league pitching to his name.

Sanchez had thrown 125 innings this season with a 3.53 ERA. And though his overall numbers are down a bit from last year, he was still managing 7.34 K/9 with a 3.39 K/BB ratio. He has also done a remarkable job of limiting home runs, given his 3.1% HR/FB ratio.

Potentially, it is a loss the Tigers can afford, as they still have their three Cy Young winning pitchers in the rotation with David Price, Max Scherzer, and Justin Verlander. Along with Rick Porcello and Robbie Ray, it is still a rotation many other teams will envy.

Joakim Soria, on the other hand, has not been effective whatsoever for the Tigers, and they are hoping his oblique injury has been at the root cause of his struggles since coming over from Texas at the trade deadline. He has a 10.38 ERA in 4.1 innings and has been generally ineffective, having given up two home runs and two walks in his brief stint with Detroit.

Soria is likely to miss 2-3 weeks, depending on how his muscles heal. In the interim, it is not out of the question for Detroit to look for other options in their bullpen.