Sanchez was designated for assignment on Wednesday.
Sanchez was the fourth overall pick in the 2009 draft, but things just haven't worked out for him at the big league level. Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart were firmly ahead of him on the organizational depth chart, and the Pirates presumably prefer Elias Diaz to Sanchez as well. The career .259/.303/.378 hitter could catch on as a depth piece with another organization, but he will likely spend most of 2016 at Triple-A.