Garcia (elbow) threw live batting practice Tuesday, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Garcia has already been ruled out for the rest of the season as he continues to work his way back from a Tommy John procedure he underwent in May 2023. However, the fact he is back to facing hitters after having his throwing program paused in August bodes well for his availability to begin the 2025 campaign.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Ruled out for 2024
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Houston manager Joe Espada said Monday that Garcia (elbow) will not return from the 60-day injured list this season, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
After undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2023, Garcia was cleared to begin a rehab assignment in late June, but he made just two appearances before being pulled off the assignment shortly before the All-Star break. Garcia was cleared to resume throwing off the mound a couple weeks after being shut down, but he suffered another setback in late July that has now prompted the Astros to hold him out for the rest of the season. Though Houston is ruling out a return to game action for Garcia in 2024, the right-hander will resume his throwing program this weekend by playing catch. He'll shift his focus to returning to full health for the start of spring training.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Yet to resume throwing
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Astros manager Joe Espada said Monday that Garcia (elbow) has yet to resume a throwing program, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Garcia has had his rehab assignment shut down on two occasions because of soreness in his surgically repaired right elbow. While Espada wasn't ready to rule Garcia out for the remainder of the season, the skipper acknowledged Monday that the right-hander is running out of time to make it back in 2024. Even if Garcia is able to start ramping up again in the next week or two, he might not be able to complete a starter's throwing progression and could have to settle for a bullpen role once he returns from the 60-day injured list.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Rehab assignment delayed
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Manager Joe Espada said that Garcia won't make a minor-league rehab start Sunday as planned due to right elbow soreness, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Garcia has now had his rehab assignment paused on two occasions as he continues to work his way back from May 2023 Tommy John surgery. The 27-year-old right-hander reportedly experienced the renewed soreness in his elbow Friday upon reporting to Minute Maid Park. The Astros remain optimistic that Garcia will be able to return from the 60-day injured list before the end of the season, but his latest setback will further delay his 2024 debut.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Throws two simulated innings
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Garcia (elbow) threw 30 pitches split across two simulated innings Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Garcia faced hitters Tuesday and was able to reach 93 miles per hour during the session, which is in line with his normal fastball velocity. While the right-hander will still require a rehab assignment, the expectation is that Garcia will join the Astros before the regular season ends.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Set for sim game
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Garcia (elbow) will throw a sim game either Tuesday or Wednesday, MLB.com reports.
Garcia threw 35 pitches in a bullpen session Friday and will now be set to face hitters. General manager Dana Brown also stated Friday that he believes Garcia will return to game action this season, though it could come as a reliever.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Completes another bullpen
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Garcia (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Garcia completed a 15-pitch bullpen Saturday and was able to jump up to 35 pitches in Friday's session. The right-hander could progress to facing live hitters soon before beginning what's expected to be a lengthy rehab assignment.
Garcia (elbow) threw 15 pitches in a bullpen session Saturday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Garcia threw 15 pitches as part of his first mound work since July 4. While Saturday's session was a major step toward resuming his rehab assignment, Garcia will likely have to complete additional bullpens before being shipped out. The 27-year-old is 14 months into his recovery from Tommy John surgery.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Throwing bullpen Saturday
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Garcia (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Saturday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Saturday will mark Garcia's first time throwing off a mound since July 4, as the Astros opted to pull him off his rehab assignment following a rough outing in Double-A. He will likely need to throw a few additional mound sessions before resuming his rehab stint, at which point he'll require multiple starts as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Will resume mound work soon
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Astros general manager Dana Brown said in an interview Thursday on "The Sean Salisbury Show" that Garcia (elbow) will resume throwing off the mound in a couple days, Michael Schwab of The Juice Box Journal reports.
Garcia was pulled off his rehab assignment after not responding well during his most recent rehab start July 4, but he was never shut down from throwing and is almost ready to get back on the bump. The right-hander is making his way back from Tommy John surgery, and once he's cleared to resume his rehab assignment, he'll likely need multiple starts in the minors before becoming an option for the Astros rotation.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Pulled off rehab assignment
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The Astros pulled Garcia (elbow) off his minor-league rehab assignment this week, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Making his way back from May 2023 Tommy John surgery, Garcia made his first rehab start June 28 in the rookie-level Florida Complex League and his second July 4 with Double-A Corpus Christi. He didn't bounce back well from his start with Corpus Christi and hadn't throw a bullpen session since the outing, with the Astros having limited him to playing catch. While Garcia doesn't seem to be dealing with a major setback, he'll have to restart a 30-day rehab window once the team feels he's ready for game action. Clearly, a return from the 60-day injured list won't be in the forecast anytime soon for Garcia.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Doesn't throw bullpen Saturday
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Garcia (elbow) threw from flat ground Friday instead of off a mound, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Garcia was roughed up in his rehab start with Double-A Corpus Christi on July 4, allowing four earned runs on three hits and one walk while striking out two over 1.1 innings. Astros manager Joe Espada noted that Garcia "did not bounce back" as well as the team had hoped after that start, so the 27-year-old right-hander has been limited to playing catch since, per Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Limited to catch
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Garcia (elbow) played catch Thursday after originally being scheduled for a bullpen session, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Garcia struggled in his rehab appearance July 4, primarily due to issues with his location. Manager Joe Espada framed the downgraded activity as a precaution, though the team has also not announced when Garcia will make his next rehab start.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Roughed up in latest rehab start
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Garcia (elbow) covered 1.1 innings while striking out two and giving up four earned runs on three hits and one walk in his latest rehab start last Thursday with Double-A Corpus Christi.
After tossing a perfect inning in his first rehab outing June 28 in the rookie-level Florida Complex League, Garcia was much less sharp while jumping up three levels for his second rehab start. While he spotted 21 of his 31 pitches for strikes and hit 94 mph with his fastball in the latest outing, his command wasn't on point, as he served up two home runs among the three hits he allowed. Due to effects of Hurricane Beryl in Texas, Garcia's rehab program has been slowed down this week, though he's scheduled to throw a bullpen session Thursday, according to MLB.com. If all goes well with the side session, Garcia could then make his third rehab start as soon as this weekend.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Moving up to Double-A
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Astros manager Joe Espada said on Tuesday in an interview with SportsTalk 790 that Garcia's (elbow) next rehab start will come Thursday at Double-A Corpus Christi, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Garcia threw one inning with the Astros' Florida Complex League affiliate this past Friday in his first rehab appearance. It's not clear what his targeted pitch count is for Thursday's outing, but Garcia will need a handful of rehab starts before becoming an option to join the Astros' rotation. He's making his way back from Tommy John surgery.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Throws one rehab inning
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Garcia (elbow) threw one scoreless inning in the Florida Complex League on Friday, MLB.com reports.
Garcia returned to game action for the first time since May of 2023. He threw 12 pitches and averaged 92.7 mph with his fastball. Garcia is slated to make his next rehab outing in early July.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: Starts rehab assignment
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Garcia (elbow) has been sent to the Astros' Florida Complex League affiliate to begin a rehab assignment.
It will be the first game action for Garcia since he underwent Tommy John surgery last May. The 27-year-old will need most, if not all, of his 30-day rehab window to get built up, but he could prove to be a nice boost to the Astros' rotation after the All-Star break. Garcia holds a career 3.61 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 364:112 K:BB across 352 innings.
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Astros' Luis Garcia: On cusp of rehab assignment
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Manager Joe Espada said Tuesday that Garcia (elbow) could begin a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League his weekend, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The 27-year-old threw a 32-pitch live bullpen session over the weekend and is just about ready for game action. Garcia will likely need to throw another bullpen session before being cleared for games, at which point he'll jump into a lengthy rehab assignment as he finishes up his recovery from May 2023 Tommy John surgery.
