Avisail Garcia wants nothing more than to finish his breakout campaign with a flourish. He doesn’t intend to let his sore fingers get in the way, either.
If Thursday’s performance is any indication, Garcia has done a good job managing the situation. The White Sox outfielder went 5-for-6 with a home run and a career-high seven RBIs in a 17-7 victory at the Detroit Tigers. The effort was yet another in a string of good ones for the All-Star, who has been on a tear since he returned from the disabled list with a strained ligament in his right thumb in early August.
“I’m just trying to deal with it,” Garcia said on Wednesday. “It’s not easy, but I’ve got to play. I’ve got to help my team to win and trying to do my best. The season is almost done so I’ve got to continue to play hard and trying to do my best and trying to stay on the field.”
Garcia suffered a series of injuries right before the All-Star break, which brought his doubters back in full force as it appeared as if he was falling back to earth after a fantastic start.
First was the knee injury he suffered June 28 against the Yankees that kept him out of the lineup until July 4. The day after he returned, Garcia suffered the first of two finger injuries, the latter of which landed him on the DL from July 26-Aug. 7. While Garcia was in good enough shape to appear in the All-Star Game and play in center field, he hit .216/.259/.333 with two home runs and three RBIs in 54 plate appearances in July.
The right fielder wore a guard to protect his hand while on the DL and waited for the swelling in his fingers to subside so he could return to action.
While Garcia’s reached a manageable state, he’s still not pain free.
MLB
But it hasn’t affected his play. Including Thursday’s victory, Garcia is hitting .413/.464/.571 with four home runs and 23 RBIs in 140 plate appearances since he returned.
“There is a lot to it,” manager Rick Renteria said. “Obviously you’re holding the handle of the bat in your hand. If you’re uncomfortable it’s very difficult to put in a pretty good swing. He worked through it, he battled through it. He’s still dealing with it, but it’s in such a minimal place in terms of discomfort. But he’s still playing and being able to do what he needs to.”
Garcia said he’s receiving treatment on his fingers every day with hot and cold water. Thursday’s effort against his former team is likely to have him feeling even better.
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Garcia singled in the first inning and walked in the third. He singled in two runs in the fourth and blasted a three-run homer -- his 17th -- to right in the sixth inning. He added RBI singles in the seventh and eighth innings to become the first White Sox player with at least six RBIs in a game twice in the same season since Tadahito Iguchi in 2006.
Overall, Garcia is hitting .333/.380/.509 with 17 home runs and 77 RBIs in 503 plate appearances this season and a 137 wRC+.
"It’s not been easy but I’m just trying to be on the field every day,” Garcia said. “You’ve just keep your head up and trying to do my job and trying to do my best and trying to help my team win.”