New Pirates Prospect Suffers Injury in Winter Ball
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates added a top prospect in a big trade this offseason, that recently suffered a setback in their Winter League play.
Jhostynxon García, who was recently playing in the Venezuelan Winter League, left his game on Dec. 12 with quadricep discomfort and was listed as day-to-day.
The Pirates then recently scheduled a physical for García in Pittsburgh, according to ADN Magallanero, which will end his time in the Venezuelan Winter League.
Pittsburgh will hope that García hasn't suffered a serious injury and is ready for the start of Spring Training in February.
García and His Time in the Venezuelan Winter League
García was playing with Navegantes del Magallanes in the Venezulean Winter League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) before his injury.
He had a great debut vs. Leones del Caracas on the road on Dec. 5, ending up with three hits in four at-bats, including a double in his first at-bat in the top of the second inning.
García also singled in the top of the fourth inning, walked in the top of the sixth inning, which he eventually scored on to give Navegantes del Magallanes a 5-4 lead.
He struck out in the top of the eighth inning and got his third hit of the day in the top of the ninth inning, a single, but his team fell 9-7.
García only played three games for Navegantes del Magallanes, with five hits in nine at-bats, a double, a walk and three strikeouts.
How Did the Pirates Acquire Him?
The Pirates landed García in a trade with the Red Sox on Dec. 5, that also brought in right-handed pitching prospect Jesus Travieso.
García and Travieso were the return for the Pirates, as they sent right-handed starting pitcher Johan Oviedo and prospects in left-handed relief pitcher Tyler Samaniego and catcher Adonys Guzman.
This served as the first major move for the Pirates this offseason, adding a young bat that could develop into an every day starter.
Pittsburgh signing left-handed relief pitcher Gregory Soto for a one-year, $7.75 million deal is the only other big move they have made this offseason.
What the Pirates Get in García
García joins the Pirates as a top 100 prospect in baseball, with MLB Pipeline ranking him 85th overall, which places him as the sixth best prospect in the Pirates farm system.
He possesses great power and is coming off of 23 home runs in 2024 and 21 home runs this past season.
García slashed .267/.340/.470 for an OPS of .810 in 114 games across Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, but his best play came in the 88 games at Triple-A in 2025, where he hit 18 home runs and slashed .271/.334/.498 for an OPS of .832.
García has a beautiful swing, that sees him open up his body and crush balls in the zone, punishing pitchers for leaving balls for him to send out for a home run.
He does tend to pull the ball for a right-handed batter, but this works well in PNC Park, which is deeper in right-center field than it is closer to the foul pole.
García also can play all three outfield positions, but features mostly in center field, then at right field and a little bit in left field. This gives the Pirates options on where to put him, but also could serve as a backup for Oneil Cruz, putting him at designated hitter at times too.
While there are great things about his game, Garcia does have a high strikeout rate, 24.0% in 2024 and increasing to 30.1% this past season.
This comes from him going for power, which obviously comes with its risks, strikeouts, and also rewards, home runs.
He also struggles with offspeed pitches, with a whiff rate of 43.75% on the changeup and 43.69% on the slider, but does do better with higher velocity pitches, like the fastball and sinker.
García is solid against both right-handed pitching and left-handed pitching. He slashed .268/.339/.461 for an OPS of .800 against righties and .246/.348/.509 for an OPS of .857 against lefties.
Where He Projects for the Pirates in 2026
The Pirates are giving García a shot to make the team out of Spring Training, but won't rush him and will allow him to develop at Triple-A Indianapolis if needed, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
García did make his MLB debut with the Red Sox last season, but only played in five games and went 1-for-7 from the plate.
He recently turned 23 years old and is coming off a strong season in Triple-A, that saw him make the Futures Game.
The Pirates do need a left fielder for next season, with Cruz in center field and Bryan Reynolds in right field, the only other option currently is Jack Suwinski or potentially Marco Luciano, who they got off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
García has a good future ahead of him, and if he makes the strides necessary in Spring Training, he could end up on the Opening Day roster.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.