One of the biggest Spring Training battles for the Detroit Tigers has apparently come to an end. According to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press, Anibal Sanchez will begin the 2017 season in the bullpen.
Anibal Sanchez will start the regular season pitching out of the Tigers bullpen: https://t.co/BZLcB1rcbM
— anthony fenech (@anthonyfenech) March 28, 2017
With Sanchez heading to the pen, it is almost a certainty that Matt Boyd will be the Tigers No. 5 starter when the season begins. Boyd has been outstanding this spring and has earned a spot in the starting rotation. Had the Tigers awarded Sanchez the No. 5 spot, Boyd likely would have been sent to Toledo for some more seasoning.
Heading into Spring Training, it was a very real possibility that the Tigers would look for a way to unload Sanchez due to performance issues. But that's when things changed. Sanchez tweaked his mechanics and has since then been almost unhittable, forcing the Tigers to find a place for him on the roster.
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