Garcia out after great catch, wall collision

Outfielder "day to day" after slamming into video score

May 12th, 2019

TORONTO -- The White Sox trip to Toronto has not been kind to their outfielders.

First, was a late scratch to the lineup ahead of Sunday’s game, held out of action because of left shoulder soreness and what manager Rick Renteria called, “an abundance of caution.” Delmonico sustained the soreness diving for a ball in Saturday’s 7-2 win over the Blue Jays.

On Sunday, left the game with lower back stiffness after crashing into the outfield wall at Rogers Centre to make a highlight-reel catch off the bat of Justin Smoak in the third inning. Garcia remained in the matchup immediately after the play, but was pinch-hit for when his spot in the lineup came up in the fourth.

“He knocked the wind out of himself,” Renteria said. “He was down to try to catch his breath. Pretty good blow but [the medical staff] checked him out; he’s fine. It’s more a soft tissue [issue], just from the blow, and right now he’s day to day.”

Though much of the outfield wall at Rogers Centre is padded, Garcia collided with a portion utilized by a video board, making the contact more impactful, at least initially. 

“All parks have them,” Renteria said of the video board. “He did a great job of [using] the biggest part of his body, his back, with meat to it, so to speak, and protecting himself as well as he could. Again, initially I think it was just the air that got knocked out of him, but he should be fine.”

Garcia went 2-for-5 with an RBI in Saturday’s victory, and left Sunday’s game 0-for-2. He is currently the American League leader with eight outfield assists. He was replaced in the matchup by Jose Rondon, who went 1-for-3 with a single in the sixth inning.