Rangers to Activate Adolis Garcia from Injured List For Saturday’s Game

The Texas Rangers are set to get back their power hitting right fielder from the injured list for Saturday’s game with the Cleveland Guardians.

Texas Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson (4) celebrates with Texas Rangers right fielder Adolis Garcia (53) after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Globe Life Field. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

ARLINGTON — With Evan Carter’s season likely done, another Texas Rangers outfielder — Adolis Garcia — is set to return to the lineup.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy announced on Friday that Garcia would be activated for Saturday’s game with the Cleveland Guardians and would be in the lineup. This came after he participated in a live batting practice before Friday’s series opener.  Saturday is the first day that Garcia can be activated from the 10-day IL.

Adolis Garcia to Return

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Bochy observed Garcia’s live batting practice, which was before active players took the field for batting practice. That left him comfortable activating the 32-year-old outfielder for Saturday’s game.

“He looked upbeat,” Bochy said. “It was good to see him. He’ll be activated tomorrow. It will be good to have him back. I liked the way he went about getting up there, how he was seeing good pitches, working on his timing.”

Garcia was moved to the IL on Aug. 13 with a left ankle sprain. It was his first trip to the IL this season. The usually durable outfielder has played in at least 148 games in each of his four previous full Major League seasons.

The season has been a struggle for him offensively, though it has been for much of the team. He was slashing .224/.266/.388 when he suffered the injury, with 16 home runs and 64 RBI. In late May he sat out the entire St. Louis series as Texas gave him a chance to reset his struggling swing. It worked, for a while. But in 11 games in August, he slashed .196/.213/.348 with one home run and two RBI.

How His Return Impacts Outfield

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Garcia’s return means the Rangers will have to make a move. That could be as easy as sending outfielder Michael Helman back to Triple-A Round Rock. Helman was called up on Friday to take Evan Carter’s spot on the roster after Carter was moved to the 10-day IL. Garcia’s return makes it easier to keep outfielders like Wyatt Langford in their proper positions.

Carter, at one time the organization’s top prospect, suffered a left wrist fracture on Thursday in Kansas City and an MRI revealed enough damage for Bochy to feel comfortable telling 105.3 The Fan on Friday that the left-handed hitter would probably miss the rest of the season. President of baseball operations Chris Young confirmed that likelihood to outlets such as The Dallas Morning News on X (formerly Twitter).

Carter’s injury and Garcia’s return come at a critical point in the season. The Rangers enter the Guardians series 5.5 games out of the final AL wild card berth and Cleveland is one of the teams ahead of them. After a 2-5 road trip, the Rangers are increasingly desperate for a run. They’ll need a healthy, productive Garcia to make it happen.