Luis García Jr. blasts 25th homer in win over O’s

With left-hander Mason Fluharty starting on the mound for the Blue Jays, García will at least open this one on the bench for the Bombers. Expect him to make an appearance off the bench at some point though. Paul Goldschmidt will start at first base and bat leadoff for the Yankees on Friday evening at Yankee Stadium.

As a team, the Yankees were only able to muster four total hits against Logan Gilbert and company, with García accounting for half of them — and the lone extra-base hit — himself. The 26-year-old infielder has seen his production slow a bit since the move to the Yankees, hitting .258/.303/.452 with one homer and two RBI over 33 plate appearances in his first eight games with the Bombers.

García’s doubles were 111- and 106-mph line drives to the outfield, and both of his outs were hit hard, as well. He’s 6-for-23 with a homer and only one strikeout in six games for his new team.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. grabs a seat on the bench as well with veteran southpaw Chris Sale toeing the rubber for Atlanta in this one. García went deep in his Yankees debut earlier this week and has gone 4-for-17 with a pair of RBI in four contests since being acquired from the Nationals last weekend. He’s He’ll continue playing everyday against right-handed starters with Paul Goldschmidt seeing opportunities against lefties for the final two months. His left-handed swing feels perfectly suited for Yankee Stadium and he has a realistic shot at reaching the 30-homer plateau for the first time in his career.

Garcia Jr. is going to like hitting in Yankee Stadium. The 26-year-old has had a breakout season, in part, because he’s pulling the ball in the air more often. That’s going to work well in his new home park. Garcia Jr. now has 24 home runs and 78 RBI on the season.

García will make his Yankees debut batting in the heart of the lineup after being acquired from the Nationals in a trade over the weekend. The 26-year-old’s left-handed swing should fit beautifully in hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium and he’s in the midst of a career year at the dish, posting an .873 OPS with 23 homers in just 374 plate appearances. His fantasy stock increases exponentially with the move to New York, especially with Aaron Judge (rib) and Cody Bellinger (hamstring) on the shelf for a couple weeks.

García has been excellent in 2026 with an .873 OPS and 23 homers over his 374 plate appearances. He’ll be in the lineup everyday against right-handers, and the short porch in Yankees Stadium should play well for the 26-year-old. Just keep in mind that he likely won’t play much against southpaws, with Paul Goldschmidt getting those starts against lefties.

The Yankees will be send the Nationals four pitchers in exchange for Garcia according to Spencer Nusbaum of the Washington Post: right-handers Ben Grable, Yovanny Cruz, Jack Cebert, and Jake Bird. The 26-year-old has had a breakout season in 2026 with 23 homers and an .873 OPS over 374 plate appearances, and gives the Yankees a needed boost to their lineup. He’s played exclusively first base in 2026, but he’s played both second base and shortstop at times with the Nationals. It seems more likely that he’ll be lining up at the cold corner than those positions up the middle with New York.

García was scratched from the Nationals’ lineup on Sunday, presumably as the two sides were getting deeper into discussions. Sherman also notes that Yankees’ Double-A starter Jack Cebert has been included prominently in those discussions. Stay tuned, as when there’s this much smoke, there’s usually fire.

No word yet on the reason for the late scratch, but the Nationals indicated that he will still be on the bench for the game, so it’s unlikely that it’s an injury situation, though he left Friday’s game due to mild soreness in his right knee. The more likely scenario is that the Nationals are discussing him in trade talks and he could soon be on the move. Stay tuned.