After an 0-for-3 performance in Saturday's loss to the Indians, the Marlins optioned first baseman Gaby Sanchez to Triple-A New Orleans.
Sanhez, an All-Star last season, saw his average drop below .200, with a slash line of .197/.244/.295. He has just one home run this season. Last season he hit .266/.352/.427 with 19 home runs.
Manager Ozzie Guillen gave Sanchez a day off Tuesday, hoping to get him started and after three straight 1-for-3 games, he was hitless in his last two games before being demoted. He entered Friday's game in Cleveland in the fifth inning after center fielder Emilio Bonifacio was injured, moving Greg Dobbs from first to the outfield in the shuffle.
"We just felt like we needed to send him down to try and get him going," Marlins general manager Michael Hill told Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Sulia). He’s not a .190 hitter. We don’t think he’s a .190 hitter. We think he’s better than he’s showing here. He’s pressing and we want to take some of the pressure off of him and get him down to Triple-A and try to get him right.”
The Marlins will likely use a mixture of Dobbs, Logan Morrison and Austin Kearns at first base without Sanchez.
To take Sanchez's place on the roster, the team called up former Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan.
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