On Friday afternoon, insider Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported some unfortunate news from the Astros’ camp. Right-handed pitcher Luis Garcia is experiencing elbow soreness severe enough for the team to cancel his upcoming rehnt.
Luis Garcia has been a crucab assignmeial part of the Houston rotation since his career began, with the potential to become an ace. Signed out of Venezuela in 2017, he quickly became an intriguing prospect. Over four seasons, he posted a 2.65 ERA across 56 appearances, striking out batters at a high rate.
He made his major league debut out of the bullpen in 2020 and soon proved he deserved a starting role. Between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Garcia maintained a solid 3.60 ERA with a 1.155 WHIP and 9.3 K/9. He even finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Randy Arozarena in 2021.
The 2023 season began promisingly for Garcia, but an early May start against the San Francisco Giants led to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery, ending his season prematurely.
Since then, the 27-year-old has been in recovery and has yet to return to the mound in an Astros uniform. Despite appearing close to a comeback a few times, he now faces another setback, sidelining him indefinitely.
In his 2.1 innings of rehab work this season, Garcia allowed two home runs, four earned runs, and issued a walk. These performances justified the Astros’ cautious approach, although they had scheduled another rehab assignment as a positive sign.
Garcia is one of six starting pitchers currently on the injured list for the Astros, with four undergoing elbow surgery. Despite these injury challenges, the Astros have managed to climb back to first place in the AL West and secured a solid starter at the MLB trade deadline. However, they still long for the return of their fully healthy starting rotation.
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