Red Sox Calling Up No. 3 Prospect Is Exciting, But Comes With Steep Cost

The Boston Red Sox are pulling out all the stops for their crucial weekend series with the New York Yankees.

In a flurry of roster moves since their last game on Tuesday, the Red Sox had already optioned Isaiah Campbell to Triple-A, designated Abraham Toro for assignment, and recalled Richard Fitts and David Hamilton. But there was one more last-minute surprise in order for Thursday afternoon.

According to a report from Katie Morrison-O'Day of MassLive, the Red Sox are calling up outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia, the team's No. 3 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, to make his major league debut.

However, the move also comes with a cost.

Jhostynxon Garcia to replace Wilyer Abreu on active roster

As first reported by Chris Cotillo of MassLive, Garcia's selection to the roster will correspond to the team placing outfielder Wilyer Abreu, the team leader in home runs this season, on the 10-day injured list.

Abreu suffered a calf injury tagging up from third base during Sunday's loss against the Miami Marlins. Because Garcia was already on the 40-man roster, no other roster moves are required.

Garcia, 22, was an international signing out of Venezuela for $350 thousand in 2019. He was regarded as a decent prospect then, but he exploded onto the scene last season by leading all Red Sox minor leaguers with 23 home runs. He continued that momentum this year, crushing 20 more home runs between Double-A and Triple-A and earning widespread Top 100 prospect recognition.

In 66 games with the WooSox, Garcia slashed .303/.367/.564 with 17 home runs and 56 RBIs. His 81 strikeouts are a few more than you might like to see from a youngster against Triple-A pitching, but there's no denying that he does a lot of damage whenever he connects.

Known organization-wide as "The Password" due to his hard-to-spell first name, Garcia has already become a fan favorite in Boston. Now, those fans that closely followed his progress will get to see him on the big stage.

The loss of Abreu is a big one, though. The 25-year-old has 22 home runs and an .811 OPS, all while playing Gold Glove defense in right field. Garcia, who has mostly been playing center field in Triple-A, should see most of his action in a corner while Abreu is gone.

It's a heck of a time to be summoned, with the biggest series of the year on deck. Garcia was informed after 2 p.m. ET in the Worcester clubhouse that he was getting the call, and by the 7:15 first pitch, he could be in uniform at Yankee Stadium.

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