Garcia is scheduled to start Tuesday's series opener with the Diamondbacks in Arizona.
Garcia was the odd man out for the Astros' four-game season-opening series with the Angels, but that may just have been a byproduct of how the spring pitching schedule shook out for Houston's rotation members. The 25-year-old righty's spot in the rotation should at least be more secure than Jake Odorizzi's, even though Odorizzi started Houston's second game of the season Friday. After a promising 12.1-inning sample in the majors in 2020, Garcia placed second in the American League Rookie of the Year balloting in 2021, finishing with a 3.48 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 167:50 K:BB across 155.1 frames.