AUGUST 2, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
YANKEES ACQUIRE INFIELDER LUIS GARCÍA JR.
The New York Yankees today announced that they have acquired infielder Luis García Jr. from the Washington Nationals in exchange for right-handed pitchers Jake Bird, Yovanny Cruz, Jack Cebert and Ben Grable.
García Jr., 26, has hit .283/.313/.560 (101-for-357) with 48R, 20 doubles, 5 triples, 23HR, 76RBI, 16BB and 4SB in 104 games with the Nationals this season, setting career highs in home runs and RBI. He has played 93 games (75 starts) at first base and has made nine starts as the designated hitter. The left-handed hitter ranks third in the Majors in slugging percentage (first in NL), is tied for third in multi-HR games (four, tied for second in NL) and fifth in RBI (fourth in NL). He is also tied for eighth in the National League in home runs and triples and is tied for ninth in extra-base hits (48).
Against right-handed pitchers this season, García Jr. has batted .295/.325/.593 (89-for-302) with 20 doubles, 5 triples, 20HR and 14BB. He has also hit .330/.347/.532 (31-for-94) with 7 doubles, 4HR, 47RBI, 3BB and 1SF with runners in scoring position this year.
In his last 70 games (since May 9), he has batted .305/.337/.659 (76-for-249) with 34R, 14 doubles, 4 triples, 22HR, 60RBI, 12BB and 2SB. During that stretch, García Jr. leads the Majors in RBI and slugging percentage, is tied for second in home runs (second in NL) and extra-base hits (40, tied for second in NL), and ranks fifth in OPS (.996, third in NL). He has hit .331/.373/.763 (39-for-118) with 18R, 8 doubles, 2 triples, 13HR, 30RBI, 8BB and 2SB over his last 32 games (since June 22). He was named the National League “Player of the Week” for the first time in his career from June 22-28.
Over parts of seven Major League seasons with the Washington Nationals (2020-26), García Jr. has batted .268/.301/.431 (677-for-2,522) with 310R, 138 doubles, 15 triples, 81HR, 345RBI, 124BB and 53SB in 708 career games. He has appeared defensively at second base (508 games/480 starts), first base (95 games/77 starts) and shortstop (70 games/66 starts). García Jr. was originally signed by the Washington Nationals as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2016.
Please find an audio recording of Manager Aaron Boone on the acquisition of García Jr. here.
Bird, 30, has gone 1-1 with a 5.93 ERA (30.1IP, 36H, 20R/ER, 11BB, 31K, 4HR) in 36 relief appearances over three stints (3/25-4/13, 4/22-6/20 and 6/29-7/19) with the Yankees this season. As a Yankee (2025-26), the right-hander went 1-2 with a 7.24 ERA (32.1IP, 40H, 27R/26ER, 13BB, 35K, 6HR) in 39 relief outings. He was acquired by the Yankees from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for minor league infielder Roc Riggio and left-handed pitcher Ben Shields on July 31, 2025. Over parts of five Major League seasons with the Colorado Rockies (2022-25) and Yankees (2025-26), he has gone 12-12 with one save and a 4.90 ERA (262.2IP, 278H, 154R/143ER, 111BB, 247K, 29HR) in 227 career appearances (three starts). The Newhall, Calif., native was originally selected by the Rockies in the fifth round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of UCLA.
Cruz, 26, saw his first Major League action with the Yankees this season, posting a 1.69 ERA (5.1IP, 3H, 1R/ER, 1BB, 6K, 0HR) in four relief outings over three stints (5/18-21, 6/30-7/1 and 8/1-present) with the club. The right-handed pitcher has spent the majority of the season at with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, going 7-3 with four saves and a 3.53 ERA (35.2IP, 31H, 20R/14ER, 14BB, 52K, 3HR) in 31 appearances. Over parts of eight minor league seasons in the Chicago Cubs (2017-19, ’22-23), San Diego Padres (2024), Boston Red Sox (2025) and Yankees (2026) organizations, he has gone 20-16 with 11 saves and a 3.50 ERA (288.1IP, 239H, 145R/112ER, 133B, 340K, 19HR) in 147 career games (30 starts). The San Francisco de Macorís, D.R., native was signed by the Yankees as a minor league free agent on November 8, 2025. He was originally signed by the Chicago Cubs as a non-drafted free agent on August 29, 2016.
Cebert, 24, has combined to go 4-4 with a 4.03 ERA (82.2IP, 75H, 43R/37ER, 25BB, 96K, 12HR) in 16 games (14 starts) with High-A Hudson Valley (3G/2GS) and Double-A Somerset (13G/12GS) this season. Over parts of two minor league seasons in the Yankees organization (2025-26), the right-hander has gone 4-4 with a 3.94 ERA (89.0IP, 79H, 45R/39ER, 26BB, 107K, 14HR) in 21 games (14 starts). The Ocala, Fla., native was selected by the Yankees in the 15th round of the 2025 First-Year Player Draft out of Texas Tech University.
Grable, 24, has gone 3-1 with four saves and a 2.45 ERA (36.2IP, 21H, 10R/ER, 10BB, 56K, 1HR) in 32 combined relief appearances with High-A Hudson Valley (6G) and Double-A Somerset (26G) in his professional debut this season. The right-handed pitcher was selected by the Yankees in the 11th round of the 2025 First-Year Player Draft out of Indiana University.
—nyy—