Luis

Garcia Jr.

García drove in two runs with a base hit in the first inning and would come in to score as the Nationals put six runs up off Kyle Gibson in the opening frame. He then doubled to drive in another run in the second inning. It’s an encouraging day at the plate for the 25-year-old second baseman as came into the game hitting just .175 in May.

García came off the bench and went 0-for-2 on Friday in his return to Washington’s lineup after missing three games earlier this week while away on paternity leave. The 25-year-old second baseman has gotten off to an ice-cold start this season at the dish, hitting .222/.276/.333 with three homers and six steals through 39 games.

García was away for three days while taking care of family business. The 25-year-old will return to his starting role with Trey Lipscomb heading back to Triple-A to make room.

García figures to miss the next three days. Amed Rosario will probably get at least a couple of starts in his place against the Braves.

The 24-year-old second baseman opened the scoring in the ballgame with a sacrifice fly off of Nick Martinez in the second inning. He then broke a 1-1 tie with a 379-foot (103.8 mph EV) solo shot off of Graham Ashcraft in the seventh inning that proved to be the difference in contest. Garcia finished the day 1-for-3 and is now hitting .234/.282/.360 with three homers, 12 RBI and six stolen bases on the season.

The 24-year-old second baseman smacked an RBI single during the Nationals’ four-run rally in the sixth inning, then swiped second base and ultimately swiped home as well on a double steal. He’s enjoying another solid season at the dish, slashing .253/.309/.364 with two homers, nine RBI and six stolen bases through his first 28 games.

It’s notable that García continues to sit routinely against left-handed pitching with veteran Amed Rosario getting opportunities. It’s not a significant hit to the 24-year-old’s fantasy appeal, but it’s going to cut into his plate appearances enough to matter relative to the other upper-echelon options at the position.

Garcia has taken a seat in both games that the Nationals have faced left-handed starters. He’ll take a break with Amed Rosario getting the start at second. Jacob Young is also getting a rest with Alex Call starting in right.

García takes a seat with tough southpaw Jesús Luzardo toeing the rubber for Philadelphia. It’ll be veteran Amed Rosario drawing into the lineup in his place. The 24-year-old second baseman batted third in Thursday’s season opener, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and one stolen base.

Lowe has mostly hit cleanup this spring, so seeing him pushed behind Josh Bell and Luis García Jr. is a nasty surprise for everyone who has already invested in him. Most likely, though, Dave Martinez will go with the hot hand behind his seemingly stable top three of CJ Abrams, Dylan Crews and James Wood. We’re just happy that he no longer seems to be leaning towards hitting Paul DeJong ahead of García against right-handers.