Blue Jays' Jesus Sanchez Injured By Fan Throwing Ball At Him

The Toronto Blue Jays have had more than their fair share of injuries this season. But this latest one is completely off the charts. Outfielder Jesus Sanchez was forced out of Sunday's game in Baltimore with an injury after a fan threw a baseball from the stands and struck him in the hand.

Blue Jays outfielder Jesus Sanchez left the game with an injury after a fan threw a ball and hit him pic.twitter.com/PtS8buBbrU
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) May 31, 2026

A follow-up by a Baltimore reporter seemed to indicate that fans sitting in right field say that the fan who threw the ball at Sanchez was a kid around the age of 13 who thought Sanchez was offering to play catch, per Taylor Lyons of the Baltimore Sun.

This seems to be backed up by a report from Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet. Sanchez said he was being "playful" with the fan, but when he turned away, the fan seemed to take him up on the offer and caught him unawares, hitting him on the right wrist below his thumb.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider says Jesus Sanchez told him he was having a “playful" back & forth with a 12-year-old fan & motioned to the fan “almost like, ‘hey, let’s have a catch.’

And I think the kid took it literally and hit Sanch with the ball."pic.twitter.com/IdBzu2o1Cv
— Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) May 31, 2026

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of Sanchez, "He was pretty sore and surprised. As were we. A ball shouldn't be coming into the field of play anywhere.

"I'm sure the kid feels bad. I'm assuming there was no ill intent there."

Others, however, are saying that it might have been a man sitting near the kid in question who actually threw the ball, perhaps with ill intent.