Cristopher Sánchez will take his turn in Phillies’ fifth-starter spot

OAKLAND, Calif. — As the rotation circles back around, the Phillies’ fifth-starter wheel will land on a new, familiar face to take a turn.

Cristopher Sánchez, come on down.

Sánchez will be called up from triple A to start Saturday against the Athletics, manager Rob Thomson said Friday before the opener of a three-game series at Oakland Coliseum. The Phillies could’ve opted to bring in Sánchez as a bulk pitcher after using an opener but decided to have him start against the worst team in baseball.

“He’s on full rest, so he’s got 100 pitches,” Thomson said. “He’s good.”

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The Phillies regard Sánchez as a depth starter, but he struggled with a hamstring injury near the end of spring training and erratic command for much of the season’s first half. In 10 games with Lehigh Valley, the 26-year-old lefty has walked 29 batters in 49⅔ innings. He has issued at least one walk in every appearance and posted a 4.35 ERA.

But the Phillies have seen improvement lately. Sánchez allowed one run in six innings of a start last Saturday in Syracuse, N.Y. In his last three outings, including two as a bulk reliever, he has allowed three runs on 13 hits and seven walks in 18 innings.

“His velocity’s gone up a little bit,” Thomson said. “He went through some stretches there where he walked some people, but his command’s been a little better.”

Sánchez met the team in Oakland, but the Phillies must make a roster move before Saturday’s game to account for his return.

They could option recently recalled reliever Luis Ortiz to triple A, though it seems to make more sense to designate Dylan Covey for assignment after bypassing him for a start against the A’s, who are on pace to lose 119 games. Covey has a 9.00 ERA in five games since being claimed off waivers from the Dodgers — and a 6.63 mark in 77 career major league appearances.

While the Phillies hope they are reaching down for Sánchez at a time when he’s pitching better, they also lack internal options. They chose to run bullpen games May 23 at home against the Diamondbacks, June 3 in Washington, and Tuesday night in Arizona; Covey started May 28 in Atlanta. The Phillies went 1-3 in those games.

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Including Falter’s starts, they are 2-10 when the No. 5 spot in the rotation comes around.

Sánchez would have been in consideration to open the season in the rotation after the Phillies lost both Ranger Suárez and Andrew Painter to spring-training elbow injuries. But Sánchez strained his hamstring and went on the injured list.

The Phillies did call up Sánchez for a spot start on April 22, and he gave up three runs in 4⅓ innings at home against the Rockies. He has a 5.53 ERA in 23 major league appearances, including a 6.00 mark in five starts.

Thomson said he views this less as a spot start than an another opportunity for Sánchez to grab the fifth-starter football and seek open field.

”And I hope he does,” Thomson said.

With the Phillies scheduled to face two left-handed starters in the three games against the A’s — and possibly two more next week against the Braves — they reinstated righty-hitting Cristian Pache from the injured list and put him in center field.

Pache was sidelined since April 28 with a torn meniscus in his right knee. He had surgery May 1.

”If I’m out there, if I’m playing, it’s because I’m 100%,” Pache said through a team interpreter. “I’m excited. It’s good to be back.”

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The move comes amid a 6-for-36 funk for center fielder Brandon Marsh, who is batting .222/.276/.407 against lefties compared to .276/.376/.435 against righties. Thomson indicated that Pache will be in the lineup against lefties. Pache said he faced three lefties during a seven-game minor league rehab assignment.

Pache’s return also came against his former team. Acquired by the A’s before last season in the blockbuster that sent slugging first baseman Matt Olson to the Braves, he batted .166 with a .459 on-base plus slugging percentage. Oakland dealt him to the Phillies on the eve of opening day for minor league reliever Billy Sullivan, sparing him from being part of a potentially historic losing season and from the drama over the team’s likely move to Las Vegas.

”I just hope for the best for this team,” Pache said. “They have a place in my heart. I know it’s a team that has a lot of history. I’m sure that some fans will be upset.”

The Phillies optioned utilityman Dalton Guthrie to Lehigh Valley. Guthrie was 4-for-24 in limited usage off the bench.

“He needs to go down and play, get at-bats,” Thomson said. “He needs to run around in the outfield, play all the positions, get consistent at-bats.”

First base coach Paco Figueroa is expected to be a candidate for the University of Miami’s coaching vacancy. Figueroa, 40, is a Miami native and played for the Hurricanes in college. ... Double-A Reading first baseman Carlos De La Cruz has reached base in 31 consecutive games. ... Sánchez will be opposed by Athletics righty James Kaprielian (2-6, 6.89 ERA).