Houston Astros right-hander Luis Garcia will have to wait for at least the 2027 MLB season before he can pitch in the big leagues again.
Astros manager Joe Espada said on Wednesday that Garcia will have surgery and will miss the entire 2026 MLB campaign. Espada, however, did not mention the specifics of the injury and what procedure Garcia will undergo, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic.
“Luis Garcia will undergo surgery and miss the 2026 season, Joe Espada said. Espada did not specify which type of surgery, but Garcia is on the IL with an elbow issue,” Rome wrote in a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.
Garcia missed the entire 2024 MLB season to continue his recovery and rehabilitation from a Tommy John surgery. He made his long-awaited return to action on Sept. 1 against the Los Angeles Angels at home.
After nearly two years away from action in the majors, he put together a strong performance versus the Halos, tossing six innings of three-run ball with six strikeouts to pick up a pitching win in an 8-3 Astros victory at Daikin Park in Houston.
However, he only pitched for 1 2/3 innings in his next start against the Toronto Blue Jays on the road, departing the mound in the second inning with a sore right elbow. Luis Garcia was then put by the Astros on the 15-day injured list before getting shifted to the 60-day IL.
With his latest injury setback and harsh 2026 outlook, there's a likelihood that the 28-year-old Garcia, who won a World Series in 2022 with Houston, will not get a new contract from the Astros. He has a year left on his arbitration eligibility, but the Astros could just opt to move on from him, which would make him a free agent. Garcia signed a one-year contract worth $1.875 million with the Astros in January to avoid arbitration.
In 71 games with the Astros, including 65 starts, dating back to the 2021 season, Garcia has ptu together a 29-19 record to go with 3.60 ERA, 1.146 WHIP and 3.82 FIP. His best season with the Astros came in 2021 when he went 11-8 while recording a 3.63 ERA and finished with a 123 ERA+.
