Duke Placed on DL; Top prospect Tony Sanchez out for extended period

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced today that the team has placed starter Zach Duke on the 15-day disabled list. Duke will miss at least two starts and has been diagnosed with a left elbow flexor pronator strain.

Duke, 27, is having a miserable season. He is 3-8 with a 5.49 ERA.

Meanwhile, top catching prospect Tony Sanchez, the Pirates 1st round pick in 2009, has been hit with some bad news.

Sanchez has a fractured jaw after being hit in the face with a pitch on Tuesday and will have surgery. The surgery is scheduled to happen on Thursday.

Sanchez will be out for an extended period of time and the injury is a tough break for the Pirates top positional prospect.

Sanchez was believed to be just weeks away from being promoted to Double-A Altoona. He was expected to finish the season in Altoona and begin the 2010 season in Triple-A Indianapolis. It now appears unlikely that Sanchez will make it to Altoona this season.

Sanchez is batting .314 with 4 home runs and 35 RBI's in 59 games for the Bradenton Marauders (Single-A).