The Marlins announced they had acquired the left-handed pitcher. Austin Kitchen Transferred via waiver from the Rockies. Right-handed pitcher. Sixto Sanchez He was moved to the 60-day disabled list to free up a spot on the 40-man roster. MLB.com's Christina De Nicola reported Kitchens' claims about the X before the official announcement, adding that the left-hander would report to Triple-A Jacksonville.
Kitchens, 27, joined the Colorado roster over the weekend as the team was looking for a fresh pitcher, but was designated for assignment the next day without appearing in a game. He is still looking to make his major league debut, but the Marlins are interested enough in him to give him a roster spot.
The lefty hasn't struck out many batters in his minor league career, but he has had success putting the ball on the ground — he has a 3.95 ERA with a 19.4% strikeout rate and 6.3% walk rate in 225 2/3 innings across the farm system — but he has put at least 50% of his balls on the ground with each minor league team.
Sanchez was placed on the 15-day disabled list earlier this month with right shoulder inflammation. Not much information has been released since then, but the diagnosis is ominous because he has had multiple surgeries on that shoulder and was limited to just one inning of minor league baseball time between 2021 and 2023. Now that Sanchez has been moved to the 60-day disabled list, the Marlins don't expect him to return before the end of July.
In this situation, the Fish were left with a roster spot that they essentially had available, and they used it to acquire Kitchens, who will be with the Triple-A team and will add a bit of bullpen depth with an option. Because Kitchens is a full option and has virtually no service time, he could remain on the 40-man roster for a long time if his performance justifies keeping his spot.
