Blue Jays Receive Discouraging Update on Veteran Reliever Yimi Garcia
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The Toronto Blue Jays have had a ton go right for them in 2025. A bounce back from Bo Bichette and All-Star performances from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk have vaulted them to the top of the American League East.
The biggest flaw for the Jays has been the bullpen. Closer Jeff Hoffman has been barely above league average with 28 saves and a 4.17 ERA after two elite seasons in Philadelphia. They haven't had a lock down reliever all year except Brendon Little, who has a 2.88 ERA in 56.1 innings.
On Monday, they recalled Justin Bruihl before the game to give the left hander a shot at more innings as they march towards the playoffs.
Yimi Garcia has been one of the biggest pieces of Toronto's bullpen over parts of the past four seasons. The 35-year-old has missed a huge chunk of the season already. He hit the injured list in May with a shoulder injury and was activated on July 2, but went back on the IL on July 5.
According to Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet, Garcia is dealing with ulnar nerve symptoms and "hasn't been bouncing back well between recent throwing sessions." He will visit Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, for another opinion on his elbow. Meister is one of the foremost elbow surgeons in baseball and is the team surgeon for the Texas Rangers.
Garcia’s Return Is Uncertain and Doesn’t Look Good
While there is no official word on what Garcia's future holds, the Blue Jays are probably holding their breath anyway. If the right-hander is struggling to bounce back becuase of any UCL injury, his second opinion from a specialist likely signals some kind of elbow surgery, either an internal brace or a full Tommy John surgery and reconstruction.
Tommy John is the worst case scenario for pitchers, as it requires more than a year to fully recover and build back up. It seems like Garcia is trying to pitch through it but can't.
Garcia has missed a majority of the season already, having pitching in just one game since May. If he were to wind up having surgery, it would be a huge blow for the Blue Jays bullpen for not only this year, but for next season.
The right-hander joined Toronto via free agency in 2021, and outside of a quick stint with the Seattle Mariners after being traded last year, has been one of the most reliable arms they've had.
Before going down earlier in the year, Garcia threw 21 innings with a 3.86 ERA and 10.7 K/9.
In his three and a half years in Toronto, Garcia has accumulated 1.3 bWAR with 185 appearnces. He has a career 10.3 K/9 and 3.49 ERA with the Jays.
Should Garcia opt for surgery, whenever that might be, his timetable to return will depend upon the type of surgery. Garcia becomes a free agent after next season, meaning this injury could effect the rest of his career in Toronto.
