Blue Jays activate Sanchez from DL, designate Garcia for assignment

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Aaron Sanchez was activated off the disabled list on Saturday while lefty Jaime Garcia was designated for assignment.

Sanchez was set to start Saturday’s late afternoon game against the Philadelphia Philles at Rogers Centre, returning to the mound for the first time since late June.

The 26-year-old went on the DL with a right middle finger contusion on June 23. Sanchez revealed the cause of the injury earlier this week, saying he got the finger stuck in his suitcase during the team’s trip to Los Angeles.

Sanchez, who’s been hampered by injuries the last two seasons, is 3-5 with a 4.52 earned-run average through 15 starts this year.

He pitched just 36 innings over eight starts in 2017 due to a nagging blister.

Sanchez led the American League with a 3.00 ERA in 2016.

Garcia, who signed a one-year deal with the Blue Jays this off-season, is 3-6 with a 5.93 ERA over 25 games (13 of them starts). The 32-year-old Garcia had been used out of the bullpen since July, when he came off the DL with a shoulder injury.