Luis

Garcia

Garcia went unclaimed on waivers and will head to the open market after being removed from Houston’s 40-man roster earlier this week in a procedural move. The 28-year-old made just two starts in his return from Tommy John surgery this past season before needing to undergo another elbow procedure. His career is very much in jeopardy as he enters his age-29 season coming off multiple major surgeries.

No real surprises here as Houston does a little housekeeping to clear space on their 40-man roster at the outset of the offseason. McCormick and Garcia are the most prominent names here and were virtual locks to be non-tendered in a couple weeks. León was one of the better prospects in Houston’s system before knee injuries derailed his development.

Garcia blew out his elbow for a second time in just his second start back from Tommy John surgery. He’ll miss all of 2026 and then be eligible for free agency after the season, so unless he and the Astros opt to do a modest two-year deal, he seems destined to be non-tendered.

Garcia is scheduled to undergo a major elbow procedure, likely another full Tommy John reconstructive surgery, at some point in the near future, which will keep him out until at least the 2027 campaign. It’s his second major arm surgery in the past two years and it’s completely fair to wonder if he’ll ever make it back to the big leagues.

Garcia landed on the 15-day injured list earlier in the week after experiencing renewed elbow discomfort. He wasn’t going to return this season so the Astros opted to put his spot on the 40-man roster to use, allowing them to promote Zach Cole from Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday night. Still no word on the extent of Garcia’s re-injury and how much time he may miss.

Garcia will undergo further testing after leaving Tuesday’s outing, his second start back from Tommy John surgery. A clearer update should come in the next few days, but his season is over and the bigger concern is whether he’s facing another long absence — a tough development that highlights how unpredictable the road back from major surgery can be.

Not good. Garcia threw an 88-mph fastball in the second inning and immediately signaled for a trainer while gesturing to his surgically-repaired right arm. The 28-year-old righty was making just his second start back from Tommy John surgery. He dealt with diminished velocity throughout the early stages of this outing, averaging just 90 mph on his fastball. There should be an additional update on his status at some point in the coming days once he undergoes some additional imaging.

Garcia had his scheduled start over the weekend pushed back for some extra rest with ace Framber Valdez taking the ball on Sunday against the Rangers. The 28-year-old surrendered three runs over six innings with six strikeouts last Monday in his season debut against the Angels.

According to a team statement, Garcia is healthy but will likely have his next start pushed to Tuesday’s series opener against the Blue Jays, though that hasn’t been officially confirmed. The Astros have decided to hand the ball to ace Framber Valdez for Sunday’s series finale against the division-rival Rangers. The 28-year-old gave up three runs over six innings with six strikeouts last Monday in his season debut against the Angels. Fantasy managers should expect Houston to put a governor on his workload over the final three weeks as he returns from Tommy John surgery.

Garcia struck out six and didn’t walk a single batter while posting a 20 percent whiff rate and 25 percent CSW. All three of his runs came on two home runs in the fourth inning. The 28-year-old’s velocity was down all across the board, and he struggled to miss bats with anything apart from his cutter. However, it was still a nice debut for him after missing two years while coming back from Tommy John surgery. He’s a risky stream over the weekend due to his lengthy absence, but could be worth the risk in deeper leagues against a depleted Rangers lineup.