Pirates Outfield Prospect Suffers Injury Setback
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates continue dealing with injuries and have another one to a prospect who has featured for them in 2026.
Triple-A Indianapolis placed outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia on the 7-day injured list on Aug. 20, per the transactions log, keeping him out for at least the next week of games.
Minor league transaction logs don't specify why players go on the injured list, just whether it's the 7-day injured list or the 60-day injured list.
Garcia is on the Pirates' 40-man roster, so they will likely need to figure out their outfield depth going forward.
Pirates Outfield Depth Towards End of 2026
The Pirates finally got back center fielder Oneil Cruz off the 60-day injured list on Aug. 17, marking a two-month span of him not playing games.
Cruz started the final two games of their series vs. the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park for the Pirates in center field, hitting a two-run home run in the 4-1 win on Aug. 18 and an RBI-single in the 4-3 win in the series finale on Aug. 19.
The Pirates have Bryan Reynolds in both left field and serving as a designated hitter and rookie right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez to complete their outfield.
Jake Mangum becomes the fourth outfielder once again and Billy Cook is also on the roster, where he can come in and play center field if needed.
The Pirates don't have much depth behind that for outfielders on the 40-man roster, as their other options are utility men in Nick Yorke and Tyler Callihan, who both can play both corner outfield spots if needed, plus Ronny Simon, who also performs a similar role as Yorke and Callihan.
This could become a problem if the Pirates need someone later on, especially if they have more outfield injuries, especially after they designated Johnathan Rodríguez for assignment after Cruz returned and the Athletics claimed him off waivers.
Pittsburgh's options off the 40-man roster include Joshua Palacios, who played in two seasons for the Pirates and Mitch Jebb, who hasn't played at the major league level yet.
The Pirates could be in a worse spot, but with Garcia and also Robert Hassell III on the 7-day injured list, it means they need to keep the outfield as healthy as possible.
Garcia Not Having Season He Envisioned
The Pirates traded with the Boston Red Sox for Garcia this winter as a right-handed power bat who could play all three outfield spots and as a player with years of team control.
Garcia had a great Spring Training, but struggled with Indianapolis to start the season and ended up on the 7-day injured list on April 17 with lower back tightness.
He returned to Indianapolis on May 12, following a strong showing on his rehab assignment with Single-A Bradenton, and hit three home runs in his first three at-bats in the same game.
Garcia eventually earned his Pirates call-up on May 19, but went back down to Triple-A on June 7 and had his second stint from July 29 to Aug. 14.
He struggled at the major league level, batting .167/.200/.188 for an OPS of .388 in 20 games, with eight hits in 48 at-bats, no home runs and just one double.
Garcia may have to wait until 2027 before he makes his return to the Pirates and shows that he has what it takes to thrive in MLB.
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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.