The Pirates designated Sanchez for assignment Thursday.
Sanchez signed a one-year deal with the Pirates in the offseason but will fall short of the Opening Day roster after going just 2-for-16 during spring training. The 27-year-old catcher slashed .311/.375/.492 over 267 plate appearances at Triple-A Reno in the Diamondbacks organization last season, so he could draw interest from teams on the waiver wire.