Sanders was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 12th round (368th overall) of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[3] Sanders signed, forgoing his senior year of college baseball.[4] He made his professional debut with the rookie-level Arizona League Cubs and was promoted to the Eugene Emeralds after one game, finishing the season with a 4.32 ERA over 16+2⁄3 innings. He spent the 2019 season with the South Bend Cubs, starting twenty games and going 8–4 with a 2.94 ERA and 84 strikeouts over 101 innings, earning All-Star honors.[5] Sanders did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]
Sanders returned to action in 2021 with the Double-A Tennessee Smokies with whom he started 18 games and went 4–7 with a 5.32 ERA and 107 strikeouts over 89+2⁄3 innings.[7] He returned to Tennessee to open the 2022 season and was promoted to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs in early May.[8] Over 35 games (17 starts) between the two teams, he went 2–9 with a 4.94 ERA, 111 strikeouts, and sixty walks over 98+1⁄3 innings.[9] Sanders played the 2023 season with Iowa and made 51 relief appearances, going 7-2 with a 5.15 ERA, 97 strikeouts, and 69 walks over 64+2⁄3 innings.[10]
Sanders was assigned to Iowa to open the 2024 season and also spent time with Tennessee, going 2-3 with a 5.83 ERA over 49 appearances.[11] He elected free agency following the season on November 4, 2024.[12]
On August 5, 2025, the Pirates selected Sanders's contract and promoted him to the major leagues.[14] He made his MLB debut that night at PNC Park versus the San Francisco Giants, pitching two scoreless innings in relief and recording his first MLB strikeout against Christian Koss.[15]
Personal life
Sanders's father, Scott Sanders, played seven years of Major League Baseball.[16]
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