Rob Biertempfel reports that the Pirates are sending catching prospect Tony Sanchez, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft, from Class AA Altoona to Class AAA Indianapolis.

Sanchez, 23, batted .277 with 17 RBI and a .760 OPS in 40 games this season with Double-A Altoona. He spent all of last season at Altoona and hit .241 with five homers and 44 RBI. Indy already has Eric Fryer and Jose Morales on its roster. For now, at least, I'd say that Michael McKenry, who's batting .185, is safe.

Dejan Kovacevic thinks that one element in play here might have been finding extra playing time for Ramon Cabrera, another Altoona catcher. I hope that's not a reason, since Cabrera is a fringe prospect, and if the Pirates are moving Sanchez around in order to aid the development of a fringe prospect, they must not think of Sanchez too highly. Either way, though, Sanchez needs to get things going. 2012 was his second year in the Eastern League, and he still only had a .760 OPS there. He recently turned 24. That's not good at all for a former fourth overall pick.

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