ST. LOUIS -- Password accepted, access to the big leagues granted.
The Pirates announced on Tuesday that they have recalled outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia from Triple-A Indianapolis ahead of their series opener at Busch Stadium, setting the stage for his Bucs debut.
Utilityman Nick Yorke was optioned to Indianapolis following Sunday’s series finale in order to clear a roster spot.
“Very excited about the opportunity,” Garcia said through Pirates assistant coach and Spanish interpreter Stephen Morales. “Happy to be here and just take full advantage of the opportunity.”
García, 23, was the centerpiece return of the offseason trade which saw pitchers Johan Oviedo and Tyler Samaniego shipped to the Boston Red Sox. He’s batting .205 with three homers and a .612 OPS in 19 games for Indianapolis this season, which was temporarily interrupted by a back strain that saw him spend some time on the Minor League injured list.
“[He’ll play] most days,” manager Don Kelly said. “Coming off the injury, he’s not going to be in there every single day, but he’s going to get some runway and get a lot of at-bats."
On May 12, in his first game returning to Triple-A after a rehab stint at Low-A Bradenton, Garcia mashed all three of those homers in a 5-for-5 performance which demonstrably slammed the book shut on his 9-for-57 start to the year.
“He made some really good plays in spring,” Kelly said. “Swung the bat extremely well, liked the arm we saw. … When we traded for him, you see all the power and the stuff that he does offensively. I think the defensive component was the thing that stood out to me that was a lot better than I was anticipating.”
“Definitely gave me a lot of confidence to be able to come back and first game in Triple-A, go 5-for-5,” Garcia said. “Definitely gives me a lot of confidence.”
Currently ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 4 Pirates prospect, Garcia made his MLB debut for Boston on Aug. 22 of last season, going 1-for-7 with a double in nine plate appearances. Opportunity for at-bats opened over the weekend after Ryan O’Hearn (right quad strain) was placed on the injured list.
Kelly didn’t have a substantive update on O’Hearn’s injury, other than to say his recovery will be “hopefully quicker than what was anticipated, but we’re still in the early stages.”
For Garcia, having had a taste of the big leagues in 2025 with Boston -- and having an entire Spring Training to settle into his new home and with his new teammates -- takes away some of the unavoidable jitters that frequently accompany a player’s first promotion. This may not quite be old hat, but it’s a familiar environment, and one in which both he and the team believe he’s ready to thrive.
“Definitely feel a lot better and more comfortable not being my first time,” Garcia said. “First time, you always get not nervous but anxious, but that’s not the case right now.”
The Pirates don’t need him to be responsible for rebooting an offense that was shut out in each of the final two games against the Phillies to wrap up their last series. They simply need him to be himself, and Kelly believes that will be more than sufficient to help unlock a little more thump.
“I think when you get called up, you feel that pressure anyway of being up here,” Kelly said. “I think that that's where the comfortability of having Spring Training, being around the guys, having success in spring that he had will help him relax and feel a part of it, and not feel like he has to be the guy.”