It's been a long time since Luis Garcia has pitched at the Major League level -- May 1, 2023, to be exact, when he exited his start vs. the San Francisco Giants with right elbow discomfort that resulted in Tommy John surgery.
But Garcia appears to be nearing a return to the Majors, and if his start last night for Triple-A Sugar Land was any indication, he'll be as sharp as ever. The 28-year-old righty fanned seven batters across 4.0 shutout innings for the Space Cowboys, despite a 5-3 loss to the Sacramento River Cats.
Garcia registered a 1-2-3 1st inning on 12 pitches, striking out the last two batters, before working around a 1-out single in the 2nd by striking out three more batters. He retired four of the next six -- only allowing a pair of singles -- and left with the game tied at 0.
Garcia has been climbing the minor league ladder this season, playing at four different levels across six rehab appearances. His latest start marked his second in Triple-A and followed a shaky debut for the Space Cowboys in which he allowed 3 runs in 2.2 innings.
When healthy, the Venezuelan hurler is a staple of the Astros' starting rotation. He made 28 starts in each of his two full seasons in the Majors, where he is 28-19 with a 3.61 ERA. Garcia signed with Houston as an international free agent in 2017 and made his MLB debut toward the end of the 2020 season, which was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.