Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. is not in the starting lineup on Saturday as the Washington Nationals will face Philadelphia Phillies left-handed pitcher Ranger Suarez. Instead, Amed Rosario will get the starting nod at the keystone. Garcia was in the starting lineup on Opening Day when the Nationals faced a right-handed pitcher. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his deployment in the starting lineup, as he took a seat against left-handed pitchers last season as well. In 2024, Garcia appeared in a career-high 140 contests and posted a .282/.318/.444 slash line with 25 doubles and 18 home runs. Last summer, Garcia posted a modest .235/.300/.235 slash line against southpaws. Garcia will likely return to the starting nine on Sunday when the Phillies send Aaron Nola to the mound.
Luis Garcia Jr. Back In Spring Lineup On Wednesday
Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. (illness) is back at second base and is batting cleanup for the team's Grapefruit League game on Wednesday versus the division-rival Miami Marlins. Garcia is back in action after missing a few days in camp while being under the weather. The 24-year-old second baseman has so far gone 2-for-7 in spring training with an RBI in three games played. The left-handed hitter is on the rise heading into the 2025 season after breaking out with a career year in 2024 when he slashed .282/.318/.444 with a .762 OPS, 18 home runs, 70 RBI, 22 stolen bases and 58 runs scored in 528 trips to the plate over 140 games played. Not only did Garcia loft the ball in the air more, but he also made more contact and hit the ball hard when he did make contact. His strikeout rate is less than ideal, but he's locked into the starting role at second for the Nats, making him a top-10 fantasy second baseman.
Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. (undisclosed) was scratched from Saturday's lineup. As a result, Darren Baker got the starting nod at the keystone. Fantasy managers should monitor his status as the team did not provide much context about his injury. Last season, Garcia logged a career-high 140 games in his fifth-MLB campaign. Across this stint, Garcia posted a career-best .282/.318/.444 slash line with 25 doubles and 18 home runs. He swiped 22 bags and added 58 runs and 70 RBI. He showed a strong eye at the plate as he only struck out at a 16.3 percent rate. He also generated a .278 xBA. When healthy, fantasy managers should expect Garcia to operate as the team's primary second baseman. However, last season, he did sit occasionally against southpaws, which slightly hinders his fantasy value.
Luis Garcia Jr. Firmly Entrenched As Starting Second Baseman
MASN's Mark Zuckerman writes that Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. is firmly entrenched as the everyday second baseman for the team going into the 2025 season after he was seemingly on the hot seat every day during spring training a year ago because of his defensive struggles. "Luis is in a different place," manager Dave Martinez said. "I've seen a big jump in his maturity so far this spring. He's got a plan moving forward. I think he learned a lot about what he can really be last year, and he's really taken it upon himself to come to camp and start where he left off." Not only did the 24-year-old win a spot on the Opening Day roster last year, he broke out with a .282/.318/.444 slash line, 18 home runs, 70 RBI and 22 steals in 500 at-bats and is a top-10 fantasy second baseman at RotoBaller. Garcia hit more fly balls and improved his hard-hit and barrel rates and will hope to sustain them in 2025.
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 García Jr.
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Nationals
