Astros starter Luis Garcia will not pitch in the majors this season, manager Joe Espada told the team’s beat (X link via The Athletic’s Chandler Rome). Garcia has hit a few snags in his build-up from last May’s Tommy John procedure. The righty will resume throwing this weekend but is no longer pursuing a 2024 comeback; he’ll turn his attention fully to getting ready for next spring.
Garcia set out on a rehab assignment in late June, which is right in line with the standard 13-14 month recovery from Tommy John surgery. The stint did not go as planned. Houston pulled him off the assignment around the All-Star Break after he had a tough time bouncing back between outings. The Astros planned to send Garcia back out shortly after the deadline, but he reported more soreness coming out of a bullpen session and was shut back down.
Neither setback seems indicative of a long-term concern. They’ve been enough to keep Garcia from logging the necessary workload to get himself into MLB game shape before year’s end though. Early in the year, GM Dana Brown had pointed to Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. as potential late-season returnees to strengthen the rotation depth. Neither player will make a big league appearance in 2024. McCullers also battled lingering arm soreness and is expected to miss the entire season.
Those injuries — paired with this year’s season-ending arm procedures for Cristian Javier and José Urquidy — made it necessary for Brown and his staff to add a starter at the deadline. They did so by sending a three-player package headlined by Jake Bloss to the Blue Jays for Yusei Kikuchi. It was a hefty price, but Kikuchi has had a fantastic start to his Houston tenure. The hard-throwing southpaw has allowed only five runs in 16 2/3 innings across three appearances. He has fanned 24 of 66 opponents while generating swinging strikes at a massive 15.3% clip.
Kikuchi isn’t the only midseason reinforcement. The Astros have been without Justin Verlander since the middle of June because of neck discomfort. Espada told the beat that Verlander will take the ball on Wednesday against the Red Sox (relayed on X by Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle). The future Hall of Famer tossed four innings and logged 57 pitches in a rehab start at Double-A Corpus Christi last Thursday.
The Astros evidently don’t feel he’d benefit from one more minor league start and will give him his next appearance at Minute Maid Park. Houston has pushed their lead on the Mariners in the AL West to four games. If they lock down a playoff berth, Verlander would join Kikuchi, Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown and potentially Ronel Blanco in the mix for postseason starts.
Verlander will come up well short of 140 innings this season, meaning he will not unlock a $35MM player option. He’ll be a free agent this offseason, as will Kikuchi. Garcia remains under arbitration control through 2026. Since he didn’t pitch this season, he’ll likely match this year’s $1.875MM salary. Valdez and Urquidy are eligible for arbitration as well (though the latter is a non-tender candidate). Brown and Blanco are still in their pre-arbitration seasons, while Javier will make $10MM next year and is under contract through 2027.
Most underrated team and stadium in MLB.
I’ve seen this bait so many times that it’s come around to being amusing, mostly because it still gets people to bite despite how blatant it is.
At this point I’m assuming most Astro fans have 20-30 people on mute.
They’re probably not ignoring us, they just march to the beat of their own trash cans.
@case
That’s fine. Better they mute them and leave things be then respond like how some Astros fans do on, say, YouTube or The Athletic.
Those people occasionally makes me embarrassed to be a ‘Stros fan.
Most underrated fanbase and city too.
JayKay just want to commend you on having bait, bite and blatant in one sentence. Well done sir.
seriously underrated county too
One of the top 3 biomes in the North America, easy.
this comment is more underrated than the biome, o mighty @case much lolz
Hopefully the time off at home with Kate has Justin ready for another playoff run.
Luis Garcia calling it a season over a few bumps in the road. What happened to grit?
Stupid comment.
It’s not his call. The team is the decider. He’s coming back from tommy john. 12-15 months is a baseline. The elbow is very fragile after this procedure. Saying he lacks grit is just being a troll
4 of our 7 pre season starters are gone for the year, Hunter Brown was # 6, yet we will make the playoffs, great job backfilling team.
You have injuries. Join the Club! The only reason you, the Astros , are in first place, is the lousy division you have! Suck it up Buttercup!
Are other teams struggling as much with players getting through rehab? The Astros have had numerous players unable to rehab successfully within an expected time frame recently: Tucker, Garcia, Urquidy, Murfee, Bregman, Caratini, McCullers.
Other teams have injuries as well. Maybe, I was aa little harsh. I appologize
Nobody in mlb has been hit harder than the braves. Thats a juggernaut destroyed by injuries. Its just part of the game
Except,of course,for the Astros losing Tucker & Verlander two months ago and gaining 14.5 games. Injuries happen — yet Braves are still 7 back.
Crane hired Luhnow, who roadmapped the Astros Way;Crane, Luhnow, Hinch, Dusty, Click, Espeda, Brown and Elias & Mejdal and dozens of other coaches, scouts and execs now scattered all over MLB are subscribers to and practicioners of that Way.
Having started the season 7-19, they have gone 60-37 since then; and here we are. Again.
On paper, they don’t *look like* a .600 team, yet over the last 97 games they’re playing .618 ball, which is 100 wins over a full season.
Since June, they haven’t trotted out a lot of “Great” players. But they are a great … team.
Good work, fellas
Garcia later. With Verlander coming it’s probably the right call.
I thought he might not pitch this season. We have had a lot of injuries with starters, and bullpen as well.
Pushing them back when their time table for return is not good. Garcia should have just taken it slow but Brown and Crane and Bagwell wanted him back now. So they pushed and he had a set back.
Same with McCullers. Wish could send him packing but under control til 27.
Urquidy I can see as Non tender. I didn’t see a mention of France there but he was sent down to the minors so I assume he could still be Non tendered or something not sure. Or still be listed on AAA team at that matter.
Rotation for next season for sure: Framber, Brown, Blanco.whether Arrighetti makes rotation for next season.
Unsure: Kikuchi, Verlander, McCullers, Garcia, could Blubaugh in the minors make the rotation.
For sure: Javier is out half the season. Whether all of it is unsure. Depends on how he bounces back when can start working. I know everyone wants these pitchers back but I am sure after TJ it takes time even after the year and 3 months recovery time. I truly wonder on McCullers with him as he has not pitched and I mean pitched since 2017 the WS with any greatness. Covid years, then Hurt for 3 seasons. He pitched in 2022 but not till late in season. Like last month and in playoffs not so hot.
Will be amazed to see what this team looks like for 2025 in terms of management as well too. Espada, Brown, pitching coaches/hitting coaches. What players: Altuve, Pena, Yordan, Diaz, Hader are probably the ones I know for sure.
I don’t think the Astros are expecting the JV of old. If he can eat some innings and keep the team in the game for the rest of the year, that’s gonna be good enough.