Garcia is expected to begin the season on the 10-day injured list while he contends with a side injury that first surfaced during his Cactus League debut March 21, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
According to Cassavell, Garcia was able to play catch Monday, so his side injury doesn't look to be a long-term concern. In any case, Garcia doesn't look as though he'll have enough time to get fully ramped up for Opening Day, which will leave him out of the mix not only for a spot in the Padres' season-opening bullpen but also remove him from contention for the closing job for the time being. Manager Bob Melvin has yet to anoint a closer as Opening Day approaches, so it's possible the Friars take a committee approach to the ninth inning to begin the season before potentially settling on a preferred option. Garcia was believed to be a candidate to factor into the closing picture after he submitted a 3.24 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 34:8 K:BB in 33.1 innings for the Cardinals in 2021 before inking a two-year, $7 million deal with the Padres in free agency this winter.