Sandlin sustained an oblique strain in July last year that cut short his season, but he's fully recovered heading into spring training, Jen McCaffery of The Athletic reports.
The Red Sox acquired Sandlin from the Royals on Saturday, and the organization feels the right-hander is on the rise, per chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. "We've seen the stuff take a pretty big step forward," Breslow said. "It was a combination of raw stuff, projection and a chance to maybe tweak the usage a little bit and improve performance." Sandlin was sharp when healthy in 2023, posting a 3.38 ERA and 33 percent strikeout rate in Low-A before a promotion to High-A. He made two starts for Quad Cities before the oblique injury. Sandlin, who turns 23 on Wednesday, experienced a jump in velocity, going from the low-90s in college to sitting at 95-97 mph during his first professional season. His repertoire also includes a slider, curve and a changeup that some evaluators feel is his best pitch, according to Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe.