Sunday Bantering: Aaron Sanchez to the bullpen?

Aaron Sanchez, with the season winding down, likely won’t have enough time to get the required rehab starts to return to the major-league roster, but pitching out of the bullpen is an option, manager John Gibbons said on Saturday.

Gibbons said that Sanchez’s finger is healing fairly well, and he’ll start pitching again soon. Gibbons didn’t give a definite timeline for Sanchez’s return.

The Red Sox placed Dustin Pedroia on the 10-day disabled list with left knee inflammation, the second time this week he’s been on the DL for the same reason.

Pedroia was originally placed on the DL on August 1st and had been activated, but his knee wasn’t fully healed.

We’ve got to try to find a way to manage it and get through it,” Pedroia told Tim Britton, a beat reporter for the Providence Journal. Pedroia hopes to return this season.

Buster Olney speculates that the Red Sox may place a claim on Ian Kinsler as he passes through revocable waivers. Dave Dombrowski knows Kinsler from his time with the Detroit Tigers, making him an ideal fit to fill the second base position, especially if Pedroia is out for the rest of the season.

The Blue Jays selected the contracts of Chris Rowley and Mike Ohlman yesterday, placing Russell Martin on the 10-day disabled list with a left oblique strain. Both Chris Smith and Chris Coghlan were designated for assignment.

Rowley made his first major-league start in Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, allowing one earned run over 5.1 innings. Ohlman, pinch-hitting for Rafael Lopez, collected a hit and scored in his one at-bat.

Martin was initially injured in Friday night’s game on an awkward swing towards the left side of the infield. Stepping out of the batter’s box, he grimaced, and proceeded to take himself out of the game in between innings.

The Blue Jays placed Marco Estrada on waivers Friday, Ken Rosenthal reported, an uneventful development given that most players go through the process at some point or another.

“[Estrada] attracted virtually no interest before the non-waiver trade deadline,” Rosenthal said in a FOX Sports special. “One rival executive expects a team in need of starting pitching will claim Estrada, but the Jays are not going to give him away — they will want something in return.”

Duh.

Follow Mark on Twitter @MarkColley. Bryce Harper got injured yesterday, thanks to a slippery first base bag. Why are the bags above ground, and why don’t they compress, simply to prevent injuries? Apparently, the bags were once made of cotton, goose feathers and canvas, but that is no longer the case. Thanks, PETA.