Despite the departures of Brandon Morrow and Tony Watson during the offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers remain flush with talent and valuable pitching depth out of the bullpen.
The club added reinforcements in the form of Scott Alexander and Tom Koehler, who figure to receive opportunities for the wide open eighth-inning vacancy. But a potential wild card in Yimi Garcia may factor into the equation as well.
After missing the entire 2017 season due to Tommy John surgery, he’s fully recovered and ready to make an impact. On Monday, Garcia tossed a scoreless inning against the Texas Rangers in what was his first appearance in a Major League game since 2016.
Garcia reflected on his long journey back and the excitement that came with his return to the mound, via Rowan Kavner of Dodger Insider:
“This is so exciting,” Garcia said. “To think, two years, no pitching and now I’m pitching. For me, it’s very exciting to be out there.”
In his last season of work, Garcia compiled a 3.24 ERA, 2.91 FIP and 1.20 WHIP over 8.1 innings (nine games). The 27-year-old owns a lifetime 3.12 ERA, 3.31 FIP and 0.95 WHIP across 75 innings pitched, with 81 strikeouts against 12 walks.
Last week, manager Dave Roberts revealed that the Dodgers intend to carry an eight-man bullpen during the regular season. Assuming Garcia stays healthy and pitches well in Spring Training, the extra spot will only improve his chances of making the Opening Day roster.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman previously remarked that he anticipates Garcia contributing at a high level this season.
