The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Yimi Garcia on the 10-day disabled list to begin the season as he continues to rehab from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander’s DL stint is retroactive to March 26, making him eligible to be reinstated on Friday, April 6.
The spring marked Garcia’s first time on a Major League mound since the 2016 season. He appeared in six Cactus League games, posting a 6.35 ERA and 1.41 WHIP across 5.2 innings with five strikeouts and two walks.
Once Garcia is activated, he’ll presumably begin the season with Triple-A Oklahoma, where he looks to continue rebuilding from the Tommy John surgery.
Prior to his operation, Garcia emerged as a viable late-inning option to help bridge the gap to closer Kenley Jansen. In 75 career innings, he owns a career 3.12 ERA, 3.31 FIP and 0.95 WHIP with 9.7 strikeouts per nine.
With Tom Koehler also sidelined for the foreseeable future, there is no clear setup man in place to begin the season. Though, a variety of intriguing arms were included on the Dodgers’ initial 25-man roster for Opening Day.
As expected, the club will officially carry eight relievers. Among those that made the cut are Wilmer Font, a journeyman with experience as a starting pitcher, and J.T. Chargois, a former top prospect in the Minnesota Twins’ farm system who excelled in Spring Training.
Despite starting the season on the shelf, there is no doubt that Garcia is in the Dodgers plans this season as he will be one of the first relievers called up once he gets some more innings under his belt. It is not out of the question that he ends up being that set-up man that the Dodgers are looking for.
