NEW YORK — Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez was forced to leave Tuesday night's 5-1 loss to the New York Mets after experiencing soreness in his left forearm.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said the team doesn't believe there’s any major structural damage but will reassess Sánchez on Wednesday, possibly conducting further tests.

After being examined by a team doctor, Sánchez expressed confidence that the issue wasn’t serious.

“I went through some mobility tests and the doctor checked everything,” Sánchez said through an interpreter. “That’s why I feel good about it. I’m not worried.”

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Sánchez mentioned he started feeling discomfort even before the game began, while warming up in the bullpen. Initially, he didn’t think it was related to his arm, but after completing two innings, he realized something wasn’t right.

“My pitches weren’t breaking like they normally do,” Sánchez explained. “The arm itself felt okay at first, but the movement just wasn’t there.”

Sánchez exited with the Phillies down 2-1, after an inefficient outing where he threw 58 pitches (33 strikes). His fastball velocity was slightly lower than normal. Over two innings, he gave up four hits, issued two walks, struck out two batters, and threw a wild pitch.

After checking in with Sánchez following the second inning, Thomson opted to pull him when Sánchez admitted he felt tightness in his arm. Joe Ross came on in relief to start the third.

A key part of Philadelphia’s pitching staff, Sánchez, 28, carried a 2.96 ERA into Wednesday, having made four starts in 2025. In his previous outing, he struck out a career-best 12 hitters across seven innings during a 6-4 win over the Giants.

Sánchez is currently under a $22.5 million, four-year contract that runs through 2028, with team options for 2029 and 2030. An All-Star last season, he posted an 11-9 record with a 3.32 ERA over 31 starts and 181⅔ innings — a major milestone considering he had never previously surpassed 100 innings in a big-league season. Coming into 2025, he was widely seen as a dark horse for the National League Cy Young Award.

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