Garcia's right elbow surgery Wednesday involved a reconstruction of his UCL and repair of his flexor tendon, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The Astros had already previously ruled Garcia out for next season, and now the team has offered more details regarding the operation on Garcia's pitching arm. It's the second time Garcia has had his UCL repaired, as he missed most of the last two seasons following Tommy John surgery. The 2026 season is the final one Garcia is under team control, so he will likely be non-tendered this offseason.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Won't pitch in 2026
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Manager Joe Espada said Wednesday that Garcia will undergo surgery on his right elbow and miss the 2026 season, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Garcia returned to a big-league mound this season for the first time in over two calendar years following May 2023 Tommy John surgery. He made just two starts before exiting his Sept. 9 outing against Toronto with elbow discomfort, and he will now have to wait at least another full season before getting the chance to pitch again. It remains unclear if his upcoming operation will be another Tommy John procedure.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Season officially over
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The Astros transferred Garcia to the 60-day injured list Friday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Garcia was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with right elbow discomfort, so he will be ineligible to return in 2025 after Friday's move. Specifics regarding the right-hander's injury are unclear at this point, but he'll have a full offseason to recover. AJ Blubaugh is the leading candidate to fill Garcia's spot in the rotation the rest of the way.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Back on IL with elbow discomfort
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The Astros placed Garcia on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to right elbow discomfort.
After missing more than two seasons of big-league action while recovering from Tommy John surgery and associated complications, Garcia was activated from the injured list Sept. 1 but made just two starts for Houston before experiencing more elbow trouble. The Astros don't yet have an updated diagnosis for Garcia after he exited midway through the second inning of his start in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to Toronto, but more clarity on that front should arrive once the right-hander undergoes an MRI. Even if Garcia's upcoming tests reveal no long-term concern, his history of elbow problems suggests he's unlikely to make it back from the IL before the end of the regular season. AJ Blubaugh tossed 3.1 innings of long relief after Garcia exited Tuesday's contest, so Blubaugh could be the next man up to enter the rotation when Garcia's turn comes up again Sunday in Atlanta.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Exits with elbow trouble Tuesday
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Garcia was removed from his start Tuesday against the Blue Jays with right elbow discomfort, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Garcia made it through just 1.2 innings before calling for a trainer to come take a look at him, and he was removed after a very brief discussion with the Astros' staff. More details regarding his injury won't be known until the team takes a closer look at him, though it's worth noting that the right-hander's velocity was down for the duration of his start.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Back on schedule for Tuesday
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Garcia is slated to make his next start Tuesday versus the Blue Jays in Toronto.
Garcia had been lined up to start this past Sunday's series finale versus the Rangers, but the Astros made a late change and instead had Framber Valdez take the hill on normal rest. Though Garcia wasn't dealing with any sort of injury, the Astros likely just wanted to build in more rest for the right-hander, who hadn't pitched in the majors since May 1, 2023 before he was activated from the 60-day injured list last week. After delivering a quality start and picking up a win over the Angels in his 2025 debut for the Astros last Monday, Garcia will draw a tougher test Tuesday in a road matchup with the Blue Jays, who sit atop the American League standings with an 82-61 record.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: No longer starting Sunday
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Garcia won't take his turn in the rotation Sunday against the Rangers, as Framber Valdez is slated to make the start instead, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
According to McTaggart , Garcia isn't dealing with an injury, but Houston wants Valdez to start the series finale instead. It's not clear if that means Garcia will pitch in Toronto on Tuesday for what had been expected to be Valdez's next turn on the mound.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Activated ahead of Monday's start
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The Astros reinstated Garcia (elbow) from the 60-day injured list ahead of his start Monday against the Angels in Houston.
Garcia, who underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2023 and required a longer than usual recovery, is coming off his best rehab start, as he went six innings and allowed one earned run with five strikeouts for Triple-A Sugar Land this past Tuesday. He's tentatively set up for a two-start week in his return to the big leagues, with a matchup in Texas on tap for Sunday.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Will be activated, start Monday
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The Astros will activate Garcia (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Monday to start the team's series finale versus the Angels, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Garcia will be making his first major-league start since May 1, 2023 following a lengthy recovery from Tommy John surgery and related setbacks. The right-hander will get the green light to rejoin the Astros after a nine-appearance minor-league rehab assignment, during which he posted a 3.30 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 38:7 K:BB over 30 innings. In Garcia's most recent rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Sugar Land, he allowed one run over six frames while throwing 75 pitches, so he should be able to handle something close to a normal workload in his 2025 Astros debut.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Could return this weekend
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Garcia (elbow) could be activated from the 60-day injured list as soon as this weekend for the Astros' four-game series against the Angels, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Garcia's latest rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday went well, as he struck out five over six innings of one-run ball. He averaged 91.7 miles per hour and topped out at 93.5 mph with his four-seamer, which is notably down from the 94 mph he averaged in his last full season in 2022. Still, while Garcia has had numerous starts and stops during his comeback from May 2023 Tommy John surgery, the results have been solid during his rehab assignment, as he holds a 3.30 ERA and 38:7 K:BB over 30 innings. The Astros are currently using a six-man rotation; they could either keep that setup in place and have Garcia replace Jason Alexander, or they could pair Garcia with another hurler -- likely Cristian Javier or Lance McCullers -- for piggyback starts.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Roughed up in latest rehab start
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Garcia struck out six and allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits and two walks across 4.1 innings in a rehab start Tuesday with Double-A Corpus Christi.
Through his first seven rehab starts across stops with four different affiliates, Garcia accrued a 2.29 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 27:4 K:BB in 19.2 innings, but he may have taken a step back Tuesday in his bid for a return from the 60-day injured list. Though Garcia was able to get stretched out to 84 pitches, he lacked command while giving up three extra-base hits -- including two home runs -- and generating just three groundouts. On Saturday, manager Joe Espada told MLB.com that the Astros were still deciding on Garcia's next steps, but since Houston isn't listing him among its starters for its three-game series with Colorado to begin the week, the right-hander is presumably headed for another rehab outing.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Making rehab start Tuesday
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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
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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: 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.
