Garcia went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.
Getting the start at second base and hitting second, Garcia launched a wind-aided shot to the opposite field in the third inning off Hunter Brown. The 22-year-old infielder remains a big part of the Nationals' rebuild despite his initial struggles in the majors, and he's looked good at the plate this spring, going 11-for-37 (.297) with two doubles, two homers and a 3:5 BB:K.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Slugs first spring homer
Rotowire
Garcia went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.
His first homer of the spring wasn't a cheap one -- Garcia turned on a Max Scherzer fastball up in the zone in the third inning and drove it over the right-field wall. Garcia is coming off a mediocre season in the majors, but he's still only 22 years old and slashed .308/.366/.519 in 45 games for Triple-A Rochester in 2022. He could be poised for a big step forward this year.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Left out of Tuesday's lineup
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Garcia is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against Atlanta.
The Nationals are loading up on right-handed hitters against opposing starter Kyle Muller, so Garcia will head to the bench and Cesar Hernandez will get the nod at second base.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Stolen base, RBI in loss
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Garcia went 1-for-5 with an RBI single and a stolen base in Tuesday's loss to Atlanta.
Garcia went hitless in his first four at-bats before ripping an RBI single off Kenley Jansen in the top of the ninth and stealing second base. The swipe was his third of the season and first since Aug. 26. Garcia is the middle of a tough stretch at the plate, batting .185 with 14 strikeouts over 54 at-bats in his last 13 games.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: On base three times Friday
Rotowire
Garcia went 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored in Friday's 5-4 win over the Marlins.
It's the first time all season the 22-year-old has drawn multiple free passes in a game, but he still carries a rough 8:64 BB:K through 308 plate appearances in the majors in 2022. Despite his issues with plate discipline, Garcia's contributed when he's made contact, batting .288 with 18 doubles, six home runs, two steals, 24 runs and 36 RBI, and he remains one of the key pieces of the Nationals' current rebuild.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Takes spot in Tuesday's lineup
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Garcia (side) is in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Orioles.
Garcia sat out a couple games with a sore side, but he is ready to return to action on the heels of a team off day. Garcia will man the keystone and hit cleanup for the Nationals on Tuesday night.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Held out with sore side
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Garcia is dealing with a sore right side, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Garcia did not start Saturday, and he will be held out again Sunday. It's unclear if he will miss any further action, but he will get at least one more day to rest with the Nationals off Monday.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Riding pine Saturday
Rotowire
Garcia isn't in the lineup Saturday against the Phillies.
Garcia is in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak in which he's hit .316 with a home run, three doubles, six RBI and four runs. He'll get a breather while Cesar Hernandez starts at the keystone and bats sixth.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Muscles up in win
Rotowire
Garcia went 4-for-5 with a solo home run and two doubles in Saturday's 7-1 win over the Mets.
Garcia has three multi-hit efforts in his last four games, though this was the first time he's had multiple extra-base hits since Aug. 2. The infielder opened the scoring with his first-inning solo shot. The 22-year-old's recent surge has boosted his batting average to .300 with a .759 OPS, six homers, 29 RBI, 21 runs scored, two stolen bases and 16 doubles through 67 contests this year.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Belts fifth homer
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Garcia went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 10-6 loss to the A's.
The 22-year-old has hit safely in three straight games since coming off the injured list, but Tuesday's long ball was his first since Aug. 2 and only his fifth of the year. Garcia's 4:51 BB:K through 63 big-league games this season remains an eyesore and he's only 2-for-6 on stolen-base attempts, but he's at least been fairly productive at the plate with a .288/.298/.421 slash line and 27 RBI.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Gets rest Sunday
Rotowire
Garcia is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.
After coming off the injured list Friday, Garcia went 2-for-8 with an RBI and a stolen base while starting both of the first two games of the series at the keystone. Cesar Hernandez will step in at second base Sunday, but Garcia should be the Nationals' primary option at the position the rest of the way.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Steals base in return
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Garcia went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base in Friday's loss to the Reds.
Out since Aug. 12 due to a groin injury, Garcia hit second in his return to action and proved he was 100 percent healthy by stealing his second bag of the year. The 22-year-old is slashing .275/.292/.420 in 20 games since the All-Star break, and Garcia will spend the rest of the season getting comfortable at second base alongside his double-play partner for the foreseeable future, CJ Abrams.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Activated, starting Friday
Rotowire
Garcia (groin) was activated from the 10-day injured list and is starting at second base Friday against the Reds, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Garcia has been sidelined the past couple weeks with a groin strain, but he's been cleared to rejoin the Nationals after a three-game rehab stint with Triple-A Rochester. The 22-year-old has a .289/.301/.417 slash line with four home runs and 25 RBI in 60 games this year, and he should work as Washington's primary second baseman down the stretch.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Set for rehab assignment
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Garcia (groin) will report to Triple-A Rochester to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Garcia said Sunday that he feels 100 percent recovered from the left groin strain that landed him on the IL on Aug. 15, so his main focus during the rehab assignment will be getting comfortable playing second base again. Prior to landing on the shelf, Garcia had been serving as the Nationals' everyday shortstop, but CJ Abrams is expected to occupy that position the rest of the season while Garcia settles in at the keystone, which has been Cesar Hernandez's domain.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Back to normal
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Garcia (groin) said Saturday that he feels back to normal, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
He took grounders at second base and looked to be at full speed charging the ball, per Dougherty. Garcia is eligible to be activated Tuesday at Seattle.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Lands on injured list
Rotowire
The Nationals placed Garcia on the 10-day injured list Monday with a left groin strain.
On Sunday, multiple reports suggested that Garcia would be placed on the injured list due to the groin issue, and the Nationals made the move official one day later. Garcia has been Washington's primary shortstop since the start of June, but CJ Abrams is set to fill that spot moving forward. Once activated, Garcia is expected to handle an everyday role at second base.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Will shift to second base
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Garcia is expected to shift to second base after he returns to action from a groin injury, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
The 22-year-old was once viewed as the Nationals' shortstop of the future, but CJ Abrams -- one of the headliners in the package the team received for Juan Soto -- now holds that distinction, and Abrams will be recalled this week to take over the role. Garcia has had significant defensive issues at short this season anyway, and a permanent move to second base could be better for him in the long run. He has at least shown improvement at the plate, slashing .289/.301/.417 through 60 games since his own promotion from Triple-A at the beginning of June, although his 4:48 BB:K remains a concern.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Heading to injured list
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Garcia (groin) will be placed on the injured list Monday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Garcia has dealt with knee and groin issues recently, and he was held out of the lineup over the last two games. He'll be forced to miss at least a week and a half, while CJ Abrams will be recalled from Triple-A Rochester to take Garcia's place on the active roster.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Sidelined again Sunday
Rotowire
Garcia (groin) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres, according to Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com.
Garcia has dealt with a couple leg injuries of late, and he will be held out Sunday for a second straight day. Ildemaro Vargas will handle the shortstop duties in Garcia's place.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Not starting Saturday
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Garcia (groin) isn't starting Saturday against the Padres, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Garcia left Friday's matchup against San Diego with a left groin strain, but he said prior to Saturday's game that he feels fine. He'll be available off the bench if needed, but Ildemaro Vargas will start at shortstop while Maikel Franco plays third base Saturday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
