Luis Garcia DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Houston Astros starting pitcher Luis Garcia (elbow) looked sharp during a recent bullpen session on Thursday. Astros' manager Joe Espada said that Garcia is close to facing live hitters, which is great news. Garcia is still working his way back from Tommy John surgery. The Astros are going to take it slow and they've already said Garcia won't be ready for Opening Day. Possibly, Garcia is able to get into some spring training contests, but the Astros are going to wait and see how he progresses. Fantasy managers might have to wait a month or two before getting anything from Garcia.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Luis Garcia (elbow) was able to throw a successful bullpen session on Thursday. The right-hander will begin the season on the injured list as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery. The hope is that Garcia is able to contribute at some point during the summer. Before going down, Garcia was a viable option with a 3.61 ERA across 69 appearances during his MLB career. The team isn't going to rush him back to the mound considering he's coming off major surgery. He could be a factor down the road, but will probably miss at least the first month of the regular season.

According to Ari Alexander of KPRC2, the Houston Astros and starting pitcher Luis Garcia (elbow) have agreed to a one-year, $1.875 million contract to avoid salary arbitration. The 28-year-old has been sidelined since undergoing Tommy John surgery in May of 2023. However, Garcia began throwing earlier in September, suggesting he should be expected to be ready for spring training. Across a small 27-inning stint in 2023, the right-hander held a 4.00 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. However, in 2022, Garcia posted a solid 3.72 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP across 157 1/3 innings of work. During that season, he posted a 24.0% strikeout rate with a 36.3% hard-hit rate and a 7.8% barrel rate. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring his status leading up to Opening Day, but he should contend for a spot in the rotation if he is healthy.