SEATTLE — Robert Garcia‘s activation after a single rehab appearance came out of the front office in consultation with the pitching staff, Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said in a pregame interview on Rangers Sports Network before Tuesday night’s series opener against the Seattle Mariners.
Garcia’s velocity and the rest of the readings from that outing landed where the club wanted them, and Schumaker put the decision against the calendar.
“I think it’s a front office decision and a combination of talking with our pitching coaches. It’s just kind of time to go,” Schumaker said. “We’re 18 games left. We’re at a time where if you’re healthy and we can use you, we’re going to, we need you active. And I think that’s kind of where we’re at with Robert. He had one good outing. The velo, everything was where we wanted it. And we felt like he could be a useful option in a winning game.”
Asked whether Garcia moves straight into high-leverage innings, Schumaker did not commit.
“I don’t know about that. We’ll see what happens,” Schumaker explained.
Texas activated the left-hander from the 60-day injured list Monday and optioned right-hander Ben Peoples to Triple-A Round Rock to open the active roster spot. The move also took the club’s last open spot on the 40-man roster.
Robert Garcia Made One Rehab Appearance At Round Rock
Schumaker set the standard for Garcia’s return last week at production, not just health, and said the plan called for two or three rehab appearances, including one set of back-to-back days.
On Saturday night at Dell Diamond, in the only game of that assignment, Garcia was the first arm out of the Round Rock bullpen against the Oklahoma City Comets. A leadoff single was the only baserunner he allowed. He retired the next three, striking out two, and threw 16 pitches, 10 of them for strikes.
April 16 at the Athletics was Garcia’s most recent major league appearance. He retired the one batter he faced in a 9-6 Texas win. A week later he went on the 15-day injured list with left rotator cuff inflammation, retroactive to April 20, and the transfer to the 60-day list came May 31.
Robert Garcia Has Not Allowed A Hit To A Left-Handed Batter
Through nine appearances before the injury, Garcia was 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA. He allowed 5 hits and 3 earned runs over 8 innings, with 7 walks and 6 strikeouts. No left-handed hitter has a hit against him this season in 13 at-bats.
In 71 games last season, his first in Texas, Garcia pitched 64 innings and finished 4-8 with a 2.95 ERA, 9 saves, and 68 strikeouts. He came to the Rangers on Dec. 22, 2024, straight across for first baseman Nathaniel Lowe.
Texas opened the road trip at 71-73, second in the American League West and two games behind the Houston Astros, and two games out of the third American League wild card spot. Sunday’s 8-6 win over the Tampa Bay Rays closed the homestand and used six pitchers.
Cal Quantrill started Tuesday night, Cody Bradford follows Wednesday, and Jacob deGrom draws Thursday’s finale.
Texas and Seattle opened the three-game series Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park. Both remaining games begin at 3:10 p.m. CT on Rangers Sports Network, and the Rangers open a three-game series at the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday.
