Kansas City's third baseman can't catch a break. Garcia strained his left hamstring rounding third base during Thursday's game against Oakland, exited immediately, and got an MRI that same day. Manager Matt Quatraro signaled the 10-day IL was coming, and MLB Trade Rumors confirmed the move is now likely locked in.
The cruel part is the timing. Garcia had just been activated on Monday after nearly 2 months out with a left hand muscle strain dating back to late June. He got 3 games in before his hamstring gave out. That's the second separate injury in as many months for a guy who was supposed to be a foundational piece of this Royals infield down the stretch.
Before the wheels came off, Garcia's defense at third base was still elite — the kind of glove work that had him in Gold Glove conversation had he stayed on the field. The bat had cooled off some, though. Through 73 games and 309 plate appearances he was hitting.269/.324/.385, a real step down from last year's.800 OPS with 16 home runs.
With Garcia sidelined again, the Royals are turning to Nick Loftin, who's set to slide over from right field to man third base. Josh Rojas is expected to get the call up from Triple-A Omaha to share the load at the hot corner while Garcia recovers.
For a Royals team trying to hang onto a playoff spot in a crowded AL race, losing your best defender at third — again — is not the roster shake-up anyone wanted in late August. Fantasy managers leaning on Garcia down the stretch are now stuck scrambling for a replacement just as rosters lock in for the stretch run.