New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez was activated off the disabled list Saturday.
Sanchez, who is returning from the groin injury he reaggravated July 23, batted fifth against the Tigers and went hitless in four at-bats of a 2-1 victory against the Detroit Tigers.
"He's in a really good place condition-wise, physically," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before Saturday's game. "The one thing he's done a really good job of is getting healthy, but working really hard behind the scenes, making sure he's ready when he comes back from a conditioning standpoint."
When he arrived in New York on Friday after spending the rest of the week finishing a rehab assignment at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Sanchez had a simple message about his return: "I feel ready."
The 2017 All-Star is hitting .188 with 14 home runs in 66 games this season.
Despite Sanchez's struggles, Boone feels confident that the catcher will soon showcase what made him break out a year ago.
"He's one of those guys you watch, and he's a born hitter," Boone said. "The mechanics of his swing, the strength of his swing, the power that he has, he can really, really hit. Everyone out there understands that. Obviously, he's had some ups and downs playing, but everyone realizes what he's capable of.
"Not only is he healthy, but physically right now in a really good place, and hopefully he can get back in there and really impact the heart of our lineup."
Since Sanchez went on the disabled list in late July, the Yankees have lost the likes of key players Aaron Judge, Didi Gregorius, CC Sabathia and Aroldis Chapman to injuries. Sabathia quickly returned, with Gregorius possibly coming back next week.
