M's get glimmer of 'good news' on Sanchez

Mariners pitching prospect Victor Sanchez showed slight brain activity Monday in tests performed in a Venezuelan hospital. The right-hander has been in a coma for nine days since being hit in the head by a boat while swimming.

According to the website Lavinotinto.com, the 20-year-old remains in a hospital in Caracas, but Monday's EEG tests provided a glimmer of positive news.

"It is a slight, very slight sign that there is hope," Emilio Carrasquel, the Mariners' coordinator of Venezuela operations, told the website. "I have been here since Friday, and today we heard good news."

Sanchez, who was moved to Caracas on Friday, was swimming off the coast of Carupano on Feb. 14 when he suffered a double skull fracture and brain hematoma. He underwent a craniectomy, the removal of a portion of the cranium, and drainage of the blood collecting outside his blood vessels on Feb. 17 and has been in an induced coma since then.

Mariners general manger Jack Zduriencik is reportedly in constant contact with the hospital, phoning for updates "every half hour," according to a local radio station. Doctors have not yet decided whether a second surgery will be necessary, although the possibility has been discussed in the past few days.

Sanchez signed with the Mariners as a non-drafted free agent in July 2011. In 58 career Minor League starts, the Rio Chico native is 19-14 with a 3.43 ERA. He tossed a nine-inning no-hitter for Class A Clinton in 2013 and was 7-6 with a 4.19 ERA in 23 Southern League appearances for Double-A Jackson last season.

The 11th-ranked prospect in the Mariners' farm system following the 2014 season, Sanchez pitched for the Leones del Caracas in the Venezuelan Winter League this offseason.