HOUSTON -- Astros right-hander Luis Garcia is facing another long rehabilitation process after undergoing a second Tommy John surgery Wednesday, as well as a repair of the flexor tendon in his right forearm, the club announced Friday. Astros manager Joe Espada said last week that Garcia would miss the 2026 season.
Garcia, 28, underwent his first reconstruction of his ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in May 2023 and missed 28 months while dealing with a series of setbacks. He returned to the mound Sept. 1 and threw six innings, allowing three runs and three hits, in a win over the Angels, but left his Sept. 9 start against the Blue Jays in the second inning with right elbow discomfort, with Espada calling it a “punch in the gut.”
Garcia, who made $1.875 million in his second year of arbitration in 2025, has one year of team control remaining and is a candidate to be non-tendered by the club.
He’s the fourth member of Houston’s starting rotation to undergo Tommy John surgery this year, joining Hayden Wesneski on May 23 and Ronel Blanco on June 6. Left-hander Brandon Walter had the procedure on Sept. 23 (left-hander John Rooney underwent surgery last month to clean up bone spurs in his elbow and repair lateral epicondylitis after making his Major League debut).
Following his first Tommy John surgery, Garcia started a Minor League rehab assignment in June 2024, but he suffered a setback and was shut down in August. He was shut down again in March with right elbow soreness before throwing a live batting practice session at Spring Training.
Garcia, an international free agent from Venezuela, jumped from High-A Fayetteville to the big leagues during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and quickly became a workhorse starter. He appeared in 58 games (56 starts) in 2021-22, and he was 26-16 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in 312 2/3 innings. He was injured in his sixth start in the 2023 season and has thrown 7 2/3 innings since.