Sánchez began the 2017 season in the Tigers bullpen, filling a long relief role. In his first 11 appearances of the year, Sánchez had a bad showing as his ERA bloated to 9.00. On May 22, he was demoted to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens. The Tigers recalled Sánchez on June 18, and he made a start the next day against the Seattle Mariners. On August 18, he was placed on the 10-day DL with hamstring tightness after leaving the game in the third inning a day earlier.