Maikel Garcia Fantasy Stats

Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia (elbow) is back at the hot corner and is hitting leadoff for Tuesday's game against the Athletics and right-hander Aaron Civale in Sacramento, according to MLB.com. It will be Garcia's first game back since missing three games with right-elbow cramps. However, the 26-year-old did come off the bench for two plate appearances in Sunday's contest. Now that he's back in action, fantasy managers will want to return him to their starting lineups. The Venezuelan third baseman is a fine DFS option for Tuesday's slate as well at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park. After earning All-Star honors for the first time in 2025 in his fourth year in the majors, Garcia is off to a .263 (26-for-99) start at the plate this year with two home runs, 10 RBI, 15 runs scored, and two stolen bases in his 112 plate appearances across 26 games played. Garcia has hit .133 with a .266 OPS and one RBI in 15 career at-bats against Civale, but don't let that stop you from starting him in his return to the starting nine.

Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia (elbow) remains out of the team's starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the visiting Los Angeles Angels, according to MLB.com. Nick Loftin will make another start at the hot corner and bat seventh for the Royals against Angels left-hander Reid Detmers. It will be the third straight missed game for Garcia after he left Wednesday's game early with an elbow injury. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Garcia's status for the start of a new week on Monday, but we may not know more about him until Tuesday's series opener in Sacramento against the Athletics. The Venezuelan infielder had a breakout season in 2025 with a .286 average, 16 home runs, 74 RBI, and 23 stolen bases in 160 games, and he's stolen 83 bases since the start of the 2023 season, his first full year in the majors. Keep Garcia stashed in all fantasy formats for now. Loftin has faced Detmers only twice in his career and has gone hitless.

Kansas City Royals infielder Maikel Garcia (elbow) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. Garcia will miss his second straight game after suffering an elbow injury earlier in the week. The team is calling it right elbow soreness, so Garcia shouldn't require a stint on the Injured List. Nick Loftin will cover third base and bat eighth against right-hander Walbert Urena on Saturday. Fantasy managers should check back ahead of Sunday's contest for another update on Garcia.

Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia (elbow) is not present in the team's starting lineup on Friday versus the visiting Los Angeles Angels in the series opener, according to MLB.com. Nick Loftin will make the start at the hot corner and will bat leadoff for KC against Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. Garcia left Wednesday's game against the Baltimore Orioles early with right-elbow soreness. He was expected to return for Friday's series opener against the Halos after a day off on Thursday, but the Royals have decided to give him another day of rest. Fantasy managers will want to check back to see if Garcia is in the starting nine for Game 2 of the series on Saturday. Loftin will be a DFS sleeper on Friday out of the leadoff spot. He's gone 4-for-13 in limited playing time (six games) so far in 2026 with three RBI. He's faced Kikuchi five times in his career and has an RBI, but he's still searching for his first hit against the veteran southpaw. UPDATE: Garcia is expected to return on Saturday.

Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia (elbow) said that he felt pain in his right elbow during his second at-bat in Wednesday's loss to the Baltimore Orioles, according to Pete Grathoff of The Kansas City Star. Garcia stayed in the game for a few more innings before eventually hitting the showers early. He was feeling better after the 8-6 loss and expects to play in Friday's series opener against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. Nick Loftin replaced Garcia at the hot corner to close out Wednesday's game. The Royals have an off day on Thursday, which will give the 26-year-old Garcia a bit more time to rest up. The Venezuelan infielder went 0-for-3 at the plate against the O's in the series finale before leaving the game, and he came into Wednesday's action hitting .274 (26-for-95) with two home runs, 10 RBI, 14 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 24 games played. Garcia was a first-time All-Star in 2025 with a career-high 16 long balls and 74 RBI in 160 games played.

Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia (elbow) was pulled from Wednesday's game early after the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles with right-elbow soreness, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Until we have more details about the severity of Garcia's elbow injury, we'll consider him day-to-day. Before leaving the game against Baltimore, he went 0-for-3 at the plate with a strikeout. With an off day coming on Thursday, hopefully Garcia will be ready to return for Friday's series opener in KC against the Los Angeles Angels. He came into Wednesday's action with a .274 batting average (26-for-95) with two home runs, 10 RBI, 14 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 107 plate appearances across 24 games played. The 26-year-old Venezuelan infielder was replaced at third base by Nick Loftin. Garcia is currently rostered in 98% of Yahoo leagues.

Across his first 106 plate appearances of 2026, Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia is hitting .274/.340/.400 with two home runs, 10 RBI, 13 runs scored, and two stolen bases. The 26-year-old was one of the breakout success stories of the 2025 season, when he hit .286 with 16 home runs and 23 stolen bases across 666 plate appearances. Early in 2026, Garcia appears to be on his way to proving his 2025 production was no fluke. While his current 17.9% strikeout rate is worse than his 12.6% mark from 2025, Garcia remains well above league average at making contact. He's also raised his barrel rate to a career-best 9.3%, which could give him a chance to threaten 20 home runs for the first time. As long as he stays healthy, Garcia should provide balanced five-category production for fantasy managers once again in 2026.

Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia put together a breakout season in 2025, hitting .286/.351/.449 with 16 home runs, 74 RBI, 81 runs scored, and 23 stolen bases across 666 plate appearances. The 25-year-old posted career-best walk (9.3%) and strikeout (12.6%) rates, while still posting a stellar 45.1% hard-hit rate. Garcia also spent time at shortstop, second base, and in the outfield in 2025, so he may offer multi-position eligibility to fantasy managers in certain league formats. Although it was the best of his career, Garcia's 5.6% barrel rate in 2025 remains below average and may indicate a limited power ceiling. However, there's reason to believe that he could offer more in terms of stolen bases, as Garcia swiped 37 bags despite a brutal .281 on-base percentage as recently as 2024. Garcia should be locked into an everyday role at the top of the Kansas City lineup, so he offers a stable floor in terms of RBI and runs scored. If he can get back to his previously demonstrated levels of aggression on the base paths while holding his gains with the bat, Garcia's current average draft position of pick 80 could prove to be a bargain for fantasy managers.

Third baseman Maikel Garcia and the Kansas City Royals are finalizing a five-year contract extension on Friday that includes a club option for a sixth year, sources tell Jeff Passan of ESPN. The 25-year-old won a Gold Glove in 2025 at the hot corner and will stay on the left side of KC's infield with All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. for years to come. According to MLB.com's Anne Rogers, the deal is worth a guaranteed $57.5 million and can reach $85 million if he hits his escalators and his option is exercised. Garcia was eligible for salary arbitration for the first time this year as a Super 2 qualifier, but this deal will cover all of his arbitration years and one year of free agency. After swiping 37 bases in 2024, Garcia broke out with the bat in 2025, slashing .286/.351/.449 with 16 homers, 23 steals, 74 RBI, and 81 runs in 160 games. Garcia improved his strikeout and walk rates, launched the ball more, and hit the ball harder. His power/speed combo makes him an attractive target in fantasy once the high-end names come off the board.

Kansas City Royals infielder Maikel Garcia is out of the starting lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. This is a rare off day for Garcia who has started in every game since June 3. Garcia could use a rest day after going 6-for-28 at the plate over the last seven games. In his absence, Nick Loftin will take over at third base and bat seventh versus right-hander Anthony DeSclafani on Sunday. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups with Garcia taking a seat here.