The Washington Nationals weekend is off to a tough start.
Second baseman Starlin Castro was placed on the 10-day injured list after suffering a broken right wrist. The injury occurred during their 6-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles in a game that ended Friday after they were suspended due to rain on August 9th.
To replace Castro, the Nationals have called up their No.2 prospect, Luis Garcia. The 20-year-old infielder will be in line-up for Friday’s originally scheduled game against Baltimore.
Starlin Castro broke his right wrist during the first game today. Citizens have placed him on the IL and Luis Garcia added from the taxi squad. Garcia, the team no. 2-prospect per @MLBPipeline, will make his MLB debut tonight (if it allows).
– Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) August 14, 2020
Castro, 30, suffered the injury while making a diving play.
He had homers in the fifth inning of the game, though that came during the August 9 part. Overall, he hit .283 / .317 / .467 through 16 games in 2020.
The injury will sideline Castro for several weeks and potentially for the rest of the regular season.
Who’s Luis Garcia?
As mentioned, the young infielder is the prospectus of Nationals no. 2. He was signed as an international free agent in 2016 when he was just 16 years old.
He reached the Double-A level in 2019. His .257 / .280 / .337 batting line-up over 553 record appearances was not eye-popping, but Nationals manager Dave Martinez is excited about the growth he has both physically and on Garcia saw from Garcia the field.
“Man, he’s growing,” said Martinez of Garcia, thanks to MASN Sports. ‘Saw this little skinny boy when I first came here that everyone was talking about, and now he’s just filling up. Just great. … He will be a good one. He is mediocre for his age. But he is a child, in principle. Every time I look at him, I say, ‘Are you going to stop growing?’
Garcia was reported at 6-foot-2, 211 pounds at the spring training session. Currently, he will be needed on second bases. He can also play third base and shortstop. If Garcia proves he’s ready to hit MLB pitching, the Nationals might be forced to find him a spot like they were forced to find Juan Soto a spot in 2018.
