Two-way star Gary Sánchez has given the Brewers exactly what they needed from him this year

Veteran catcher Gary Sánchez, who surpassed 10 years of MLB service time earlier this year, is enjoying a solid second stint with the Milwaukee Brewers. After originally joining the Brewers in 2024, Sánchez spent the 2025 season with the Baltimore Orioles before returning to Milwaukee on a one-year, $1.75 million deal.

This year, Sánchez has provided exactly what the doctor ordered, including a boost in the power department which the Brewers certainly needed, especially from a right-handed hitter. Surprisingly, just four of his 10 home runs have come against southpaws, but his overall production in those matchups has been even more impressive. Sánchez is batting .253 with an .828 OPS against left-handed pitching, and maintains full season marks of .215 and .793.

Sánchez has also embraced the team’s patient approach at the plate, posting a career-best 17.0% walk rate, all while providing valuable veteran leadership to a clubhouse built around a young Brewers pitching staff that entered the season with plenty of questions. Pair that with his 119 OPS+, which is the best he's had in a season since his 2019 All-Star campaign, and Sánchez has quietly been an excellent free agent addition.

What fans certainly didn't see coming was Sánchez providing value on the mound, as a pitcher. This month, he's tossed two scoreless inning, the first coming on August 11 during a 2-11 loss to the San Diego Padres, and the other more recently in the Brewers' 22-0 shutout win over the Seattle Mariners.

Gary Sánchez has been the perfect complement to William Contreras this year

To close out a game in which the Brewers matched a franchise record with 22 runs, Sánchez was tasked with preserving the bullpen by taking the mound for the final frame of the lopsided affair. Although he allowed a pair of hits, he kept the Mariners off the scoreboard, helping Milwaukee secure a shutout that tied the record for the largest shutout victory by any team in the modern era.

While Sánchez’s pitching numbers are clearly irrelevant, it was evident that he was determined to protect the shutout, as he dialed up his velocity in key situations. After floating several mid-30s mph eephus pitches toward the plate, Sánchez tried to catch Josh Naylor off guard in a two-strike count with a 67 mph fastball, but Naylor turned on it for a single.

Against what would be the final batter of the game, Victor Robles, Sánchez opened the at-bat by dialing it up with a 70.5 mph fastball followed by a 72.7 mph heater. A 55 MPH eephus ultimately finished off the game, but Sánchez’s willingness to make hitters work certainly didn’t go unnoticed.

Ultimately, Sánchez has proven to be a terrific free-agent signing for the Brewers, now adding two scoreless innings on the mound to the value he has provided at the plate, behind the dish, and in the clubhouse. While he still has 18 innings to go before qualifying as a true two-way player under MLB rules, the value Sánchez has delivered this season far exceeds what Milwaukee could have reasonably expected when it signed him to a one-year, $1.75 million deal.

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