Garcia (elbow) will make a rehab start with Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The right-hander threw 77 pitches over 4.2 frames during his seventh rehab outing last week, and he'll take the mound again Tuesday for what could be the final appearance of his rehab assignment. Garcia hasn't pitched in the majors since 2023 due to Tommy John surgery and some recovery setbacks.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Strikes out six in rehab start
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Garcia (elbow) struck out six and allowed one earned run on six hits and one walk over 4.2 innings in a rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Sugar Land.
Garcia has been built up slowly during his rehab assignment, which began July 7 in the rookie-level Florida Complex League and has included seven starts over four affiliates in total. The right-hander looks to be rapidly closing in on a return from the 60-day injured list, as he's looked sharp over his three outings since moving his assignment to Sugar Land. Over those starts, Garcia has turned in a 3.18 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 15:3 K:BB in 11.1 innings. After Garcia got stretched out to 77 pitches in Wednesday's start, Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that the 28-year-old will likely require just one more appearance in the minors before coming off the IL, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Brown added that Lance McCullers (finger) is on track to beat Garcia back from the IL, but the Astros could have starting spots available for both pitchers if they elect to move Jason Alexander or Spencer Arrighetti to the bullpen and expand the rotation to six men. Garcia last pitched in the big leagues May 1, 2023, as he underwent Tommy John surgery later that month and then hit some snags in the recovery process that have further delayed him.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Fires four scoreless frames in rehab
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Garcia (elbow) struck out seven and allowed three earned runs and no walks over four scoreless innings Thursday in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Sugar Land.
Garcia made the sixth appearance of his rehab assignment and was able to reach the fourth inning for the first time across his four minor-league stops. In what was his finest appearance yet, Garcia built up to 59 pitches. Garcia will likely need to push his pitch count up to the 75-to-85 range before the Astros consider inserting him into the big-league rotation, but he may be just one or two rehab starts away from being activated from the 60-day injured list.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Hits 50-pitch mark in rehab
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Garcia (elbow) made the fifth start of his rehab assignment Friday with Triple-A Sugar Land, striking out two batters over 2.2 innings while allowing three earned runs on three hits and two walks.
Following stops in the rookie-level Florida Complex League, Single-A Fayetteville and Double-A Corpus Christi, Garcia moved up to the Astros' top affiliate for his most recent appearance. The Astros have been having Garcia build up slowly following his May 2023 Tommy John surgery and his subsequent elbow-related setbacks, as he has yet to hit the three-inning mark in any of his rehab outings and reached 50 pitches for the first time Friday. The right-hander's 30-day rehab window will come to a close later this week, but because he won't be fully stretched out by then, the Astros could opt to extend his assignment if they intend to bring him back from the 60-day injured list as a starter rather than a reliever.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Ramps up to 46 pitches
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Garcia (elbow) struck out three and gave up two hits and one walk over 2.1 scoreless innings in a rehab start with Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday.
Garcia made the fourth appearance of his rehab assignment and his first at the Double-A level. He had originally been scheduled to pitch Sunday but had his start moved up a day and managed to record an additional out relative to his first three outings. Garcia has looked sharp across the entirety of his rehab assignment, throwing a total of 8.1 innings while allowing one earned run and maintaining a 12:1 K:BB. However, he'll likely need to prove he can pitch deeper into games before he is activated from the 60-day injured list.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Sharp in latest rehab start
Rotowire
Garcia (elbow) struck out two over two perfect innings in his latest rehab start Saturday for Single-A Fayetteville.
After making two rehab starts in the rookie-level Florida Complex League, Garcia reported to a full-season affiliate last weekend. The Astros have been easing the right-hander along in his rehab, as he's covered exactly two innings in each of his three starts while giving up one earned run and posting a 9:0 K:BB. Per MLB.com, Garcia is slated to make his next start Sunday with Double-A Corpus Christi, though it's unclear if the Astros plan on having him increase his workload.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Four Ks in first rehab start
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Garcia (elbow) struck out four and allowed one earned run on one hit and no walks over two innings in his rehab start Monday in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.
Monday's outing marked Garcia's first official game action since July 4, 2024, when he made his second of two rehab starts last season after completing his recovery from May 2023 Tommy John surgery. He was shut down soon thereafter due to recurring soreness in his surgically repaired elbow, and though he appeared to be fully healthy to begin spring training, Garcia was shut down again when he was diagnosed with inflammation in the elbow. Garcia has steered clear of setbacks since he resumed his throwing program in late April, and he's now finally reached the final phase of his recovery. While he opened his rehab assignment on a positive note by retiring six of the seven batters he faced, Garcia will likely need the entirety of the 30-day rehab window to get fully stretched out for a traditional starting role before he returns from the 60-day injured list. Garcia owns an excellent 3.53 ERA and 1.16 WHIP over 352 career innings in the majors, but he'll likely need to perform well during his rehab assignment in order for Houston to open up a spot for him in the rotation.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Cleared for rehab assignment
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The Astros sent Garcia (elbow) to the rookie-level Florida Complex League on Monday to begin a rehab assignment.
Garcia has finally been cleared to pitch in games following numerous starts and stops after he underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2023. The right-hander is likely to require most, if not all, of his allotted 30 days to get stretched out for a starting role during his rehab assignment. His performance during his time in the minors will likely determine whether Garcia reclaims a spot in the Houston rotation once he's activated from the 60-day injured list.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Tosses third live BP session
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Garcia (elbow) threw another live batting practice session Friday, MLB.com reports.
Garcia has now faced hitters on three occasions as he continues to ramp back up since being shut down late in the spring when he experienced inflammation in his surgically repaired right elbow. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2023, Garcia was able to make a pair of rehab starts in 2024, but he's more than two years removed from his last appearance with the Astros. Once he's cleared to begin a minor-league rehab assignment, Garcia will likely need most of the 30-day window to build up his pitch count and hone his command before the Astros deem him a viable option for the rotation.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Completes live batting practice
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Garcia (elbow) has begun throwing live batting practice sessions at Houston's spring training complex in Florida, MLB.com reports.
Garcia has thrown several bullpen sessions since early June and is now able to take the next step in his recovery. He could embark on a rehab assignment shortly, with the aim of returning in late July or early August.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Nearing live batting practice
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Garcia (elbow) is expected to throw a live batting practice session within the next week, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Garcia has thrown at least three bullpen sessions since May 24, most recently throwing 25 pitches. Live batting practice will be a significant milestone in his recovery as he continues to work his way back from Tommy John surgery.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Throws again
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Garcia (elbow) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Saturday, MLB.com reports.
Garcia continues to ramp up slowly since resuming mound work in late May. He still has considerable work ahead of him before being activated, and he is aiming for a late-July or early-August return.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Logs bullpen session
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Garcia (elbow) threw a bullpen session Sunday, MLB.com reports.
It's unclear how hard or how many pitches Garcia threw, but manager Joe Espada did note that the session went well. While this is a positive step forward, Garcia is expected to be sidelined until at least late July.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Plays catch Tuesday
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Garcia (elbow) played catch at Daikin Park on Tuesday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The right-hander was diagnosed with right elbow inflammation in early April, the latest in a series of setbacks suffered by Garcia as he comes back from May 2023 Tommy John surgery. Previous reports indicated that Garcia would remain shut down until early May, so it appears he might be a bit ahead of schedule. Still, it's way too soon for any sort of timetable for the righty to be established.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Shut down for four weeks
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Garcia will be shut down for four weeks after an MRI revealed right elbow inflammation, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
It's good that Garcia isn't dealing with any structural damage in his surgically repaired elbow. However, he's already been shut down for a couple weeks and will need at least another month before he's able to throw again. It's going to be a long ramp-up process after that, so Garcia probably isn't going to be an option for the Astros until at least June even in a best-case scenario.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Goes on IL
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The Astros placed Garcia (elbow) on the 15-day injured list Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Manager Joe Espada said the team got "decent news" from the first opinion on Garcia's right elbow, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports. However, the medical staff and Garcia are still awaiting the results of a second opinion before a decision is made on how to proceed. Garcia was pulled off his throwing program last week after experiencing soreness in his surgically repaired elbow.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Seeking second opinion
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Garcia met with doctors Tuesday regarding his right elbow and will seek a second opinion, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Garcia was pulled off his throwing program Thursday after reporting soreness in his surgically repaired right elbow. There's no telling how long it will be before he's ready to start up his rehab again, but it's usually not a great sign when a player seeks a second opinion. More details should be available once another doctor takes a look at Garcia.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Nearing live BP
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Astros manager Joe Espada said Friday that Garcia (elbow) could throw a live batting practice session soon, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Garcia is still working on regaining his velocity following Tommy John surgery and multiple setbacks last year, but he hasn't had any hiccups so far this spring. There remains no timetable for when the right-hander might be ready to pitch in a game.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Close to facing hitters
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Astros manager Joe Espada said Friday that Garcia (elbow) hit 90 mph during a bullpen session Thursday and is getting close to facing hitters, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Garcia averaged 94 mph with his four-seamer during his last healthy season in 2022, but he's still ramping things back up following Tommy John surgery and multiple setbacks. The Astros have already ruled the right-hander out for Opening Day, but it's not clear whether he might be able to make some Grapefruit League appearances.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Won't return by Opening Day
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General manager Dana Brown said Saturday that Garcia (elbow) will not be ready for Opening Day, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Garcia missed all of last year after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2023, and he was pulled off a rehab assignment twice due to multiple instances of elbow soreness. He managed to resume throwing live batting practice by the end of the season and hasn't experienced any problems since then, but it seems the Astros are going to be extremely cautious in getting him ready for the 2025 campaign. It's unclear exactly how far the 28-year-old's absence will extend into the regular season.
