Outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis by the Pirates on Tuesday ahead of their series opener at Busch Stadium.
Garcia, the Bucs’ No. 4 prospect, went 1-for-4 with an eighth-inning single in his debut before exiting for a pinch-hitter in the top of the ninth of Pittsburgh’s 9-6 loss in 10 innings.
Manager’s Assessment of Garcia’s First Game
Pirates manager Don Kelly said Garcia looked like he “maybe wasn’t on time completely … being the first game up in the big leagues since last year.”
Kelly added, “He can hit. Just get him better on time.”
Garcia’s Journey to the Pirates
Garcia gets his moniker from his difficult to spell first name, which is pronounced “JOES-tin-son.”
Nick Yorke was optioned to Indianapolis following Sunday’s series finale in order to clear a roster spot.
Garcia said he was “very excited about the opportunity,” and “happy to be here and just take full advantage of the opportunity.”
The 23-year-old Garcia was the centerpiece return of the offseason trade which saw pitchers Johan Oviedo and Tyler Samaniego shipped to the Boston Red Sox.
He’s batting .205 with three homers and a .612 OPS in 19 games for Indianapolis this season, which was temporarily interrupted by a back strain that saw him spend some time on the Minor League injured list.
Garcia’s Playing Time and Performance
Kelly said Garcia will play “most days,” but “coming off the injury, he’s not going to be in there every single day, but he’s going to get some runway and get a lot of at-bats.”
On May 12, in his first game returning to Triple-A after a rehab stint, Garcia mashed all three of those homers in a 5-for-5 performance.
Kelly noted Garcia “made some really good plays in spring,” and “swung the bat extremely well, liked the arm we saw.”
Kelly said when they traded for him, you see all the power and the stuff that he does offensively and “the defensive component was the thing that stood out to me that was a lot better than I was anticipating.”
Garcia said his 5-for-5 performance “definitely gave me a lot of confidence to be able to come back and first game in Triple-A.”
Opportunity Arises Due to Injury
Currently ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 4 Pirates prospect, Garcia made his MLB debut for Boston on Aug. 22 of last season, going 1-for-7 with a double in nine plate appearances.
Opportunity for at-bats opened over the weekend after Ryan O’Hearn (right quad strain) was placed on the injured list.
Kelly didn’t have a substantive update on O’Hearn’s injury, other than to say his recovery will be “hopefully quicker than what was anticipated, but we’re still in the early stages.”
Having had a taste of the big leagues in 2025 with Boston — and having an entire Spring Training to settle into his new home and with his new teammates — takes away some of the unavoidable jitters that frequently accompany a player’s first promotion.