Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. (wrist) is back in the starting nine on Saturday afternoon as the Nationals continue a three-game set against the Chicago Cubs. The infielder has been sidelined for the past two games due to a wrist injury. He will return on Saturday but will serve as the designated hitter and bat in the three-hole. Fantasy managers should expect the 24-year-old to return to the infield very soon. Before the minor injury, Garcia was in the midst of a slump through September, holding a .175/.233/.300 line with just three extra-base hits. Throughout the summer, Garcia has posted a strong .280 AVG with 16 home runs and 21 stolen bases. Fantasy managers should feel confident starting him this afternoon as he will face Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks who carries a hefty 6.25 ERA.
Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. (wrist) is out of the starting lineup again on Thursday at Wrigley Field for the contest against the hosting Chicago Cubs. Darren Baker is manning second base for the Nats and will hit eighth against Cubs right-hander Javier Assad. This will be Garcia's second straight game on the bench due to wrist discomfort, although it's not considered a very serious injury. Fantasy managers should consider the 24-year-old to be day-to-day. Garcia is in the midst of a career season, as he enters Thursday's action slashing .280/.319/.440 with a .759 OPS, 16 home runs, 25 RBI and 21 stolen bases in his 132 games played. He would surely like to return soon to finish off his strong 2024 season the right way. Baker, 25, will be playing in just his sixth major-league game on Thursday. He's gone 2-for-5 so far with a double and two strikeouts for the Nats.
Luis Garcia Jr. Removed As A Precaution On Tuesday
Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. (wrist) said his right wrist was bothering him after his last swing in Tuesday's contest at Citi Field against the division-rival New York Mets, and manager Dave Martinez removed him as a precaution. Before he was pulled, Garcia went 0-for-2 with a strikeout before eventually being replaced at the keystone by Jose Tena. The 24-year-old's injury doesn't appear to be too serious, but fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if the Nationals give Garcia a day to rest on Wednesday. It's been a breakout season in 2024 for Garcia in his fifth year in the big leagues for Washington, as he entered Tuesday's action slashing .281/.320/.442 with career-highs in OPS (.762), home runs (16), RBI (65) and stolen bases (21) in 131 games played. If Garcia misses additional time, either Tena or Ildemaro Vargas will pick up playing time at second base.
Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. and outfielder/designated hitter Joey Gallo are both out of the lineup on Wednesday at Nationals Park against the division-rival Atlanta Braves and left-hander Max Fried. Ildemaro Vargas is starting at second base and batting eighth, while Andres Chaparro serves as the DH and bats out of the three-hole against Fried. Garcia is in the midst of the best season of his career by far, as he came into Wednesday slashing .284/.322/.443 with career-highs in OPS (.766), home runs (15), RBI (63) and stolen bases (21) in a career-high 126 games played as Washington's starting second baseman. None of his 15 long balls on the year have come against southpaws, though, and he's also hitting just .167 (5-for-30) with eight strikeouts in 10 games over the last 14 days. It's a good day to get Garcia off his feet against a tough lefty.
CJ Abrams, Luis Garcia Jr. Both Out Against A Lefty
Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams and second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. are both retreating to the bench on Friday against the division-rival Atlanta Braves at Truist Park with Braves All-Star left-hander Chris Sale toeing the rubber. Nasim Nunez will man shortstop and hit ninth, while Ildemaro Vargas will start at the keystone and bat sixth against Sale. DFS managers will probably want to avoid both Nunez and Vargas as low-cost deep sleepers in this matchup. Abrams has been a first-time All-Star in 2024 actually has had versus splits; he's hitting .291 (44-for-151) against southpaws this year, although only four of his 18 home runs have come against them. Garcia, meanwhile, is hitting .262 (22-for-84) against lefties but has yet to go deep against them this year. Garcia is also having a breakout campaign, already setting career-highs in homers (15), RBI (63) and steals (20) in 112 games.
Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. belted his 15th home run of the season with three RBI in Wednesday night's win over the visiting Colorado Rockies at Nationals Park. Garcia hammered a three-run shot off Rockies right-hander Tanner Gordon to right-center field in Wednesday's victory over Colorado, making the score 5-0 Nationals in the third inning. The 24-year-old infielder has evolved into a difference-making pickup for fantasy managers since July 3, batting .368 (50-for-136) with eight homers, 26 RBI, and 22 runs scored in his last 37 games as Washington's everyday second baseman.
Luis Garcia Jr. Continues To Help Across The Board
Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. did it all in Thursday's loss versus the San Francisco Giants. Garcia went 2-for-4 in the contest, scoring two runs with a three-run home run and stolen base. Garcia has quietly put together a solid all-around campaign in 2024 as he is now hitting .290 with 14 homers, 56 RBI and 19 stolen bases. The 24-year-old is having a true breakout season as many had written him off entering the year and managers that were wise enough to take a chance on him have been rewarded. Although he hits near the bottom of the order, he is still being productive at second base, where there aren't many options to choose from. Garcia's xwOBA stands at .345 for the season with a strong xBA of .293, suggesting his season has been no fluke and there is no need to sell-high. The second baseman will look to build off his strong effort on Friday versus Jose Soriano and the Los Angeles Angels.
Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. (undisclosed) was a late scratch from Sunday's starting lineup. Currently, Garica should be considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury for now. As a result, 32-year-old Ildemaro Vargas will occupy the keystone this afternoon and bat in the seven-hole. Garcia went 2-for-2 with a home run yesterday, which extended his current hitting streak to five games. The 24-year-old is on pace to have the best season of his major league career with a strong .281/.313/.444 line, 11 home runs, 45 RBI, and 12 stolen bases. Fantasy managers should pay close to Garcia's status heading into the All-Star Break.
Luis Garcia Jr. Homers In 6-5 Win Over Milwaukee Brewers
Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. smacked a pinch-hit home run Saturday off Jacob Junis. The Nationals went on to win the game 6-5, scoring two runs in the ninth inning to complete the victory. On the year, Garcia Jr. is hitting .281 with 11 home runs, 45 RBI, 12 stolen bases and 34 runs scored on the season. Those who drafted Garcia Jr. have reaped the benefit of a hitter getting daily at-bats with double-digit home runs and stolen bases.
Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. kept his foot on the gas in Friday's loss to the visiting St. Louis Cardinals, piling up four hits with a home run and a stolen base in the defeat. Following an RBI single in the first inning, Garcia gave the Nats a 5-0 lead with a solo homer off Cardinals ace Sonny Gray in the third frame. The 24-year-old infielder now has six RBI in his past two appearances, going 10-for-24 (.417) with three round-trippers and two stolen bases over his last seven outings. Providing a decent level of speed and pop as Washington's everyday second baseman, Garcia is starting to command more attention in deeper mixed and NL-only fantasy leagues.
Luis García Jr.
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Nationals
