Astros just dusted off a forgotten starter who could swing their season

It's been a long, long time since the Houston Astros have watched Luis Garcia set foot on a big league mound. After finishing second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2021, the club believed they had a rotation building block on their hands.

He followed up the impressive rookie campaign with a solid 2022 season, logging 157.1 innings and posting a 3.72 ERA. Another leap, and he could have ascended to stardom. Instead, six starts into the 2023 season, he went down with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. The initial prognosis was 12-18 months, but setback after setback has made his path back to the majors much more winding.

Finally, it seems as if he's on the precipice of a return, and it could be a game-changer for the Astros' season.

Luis Garcia's return could be the X-factor the Astros' rotation desperately needs

As the Astros have desperately searched for an answer in the rotation behind Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez, Garcia's return has been much anticipated. Lance McCullers Jr. hasn't found a groove during his journey back from injury and will be temporarily moved to the bullpen.

Spencer Arrighetti has a 6.21 ERA and missed the bulk of the season with an injury of his own. Cristian Javier has logged just 10 innings over three starts following his own return from Tommy John. Both Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski were also bitten by the Tommy John bug and are out for the season.

Houston's desperation to add an impact starter in the No. 3 spot in the rotation led to some seriously heavy flirtation with the San Diego Padres in an effort to bring Dylan Cease to the Lone Star State, but ultimately, the overtures were rejected.

With so many injuries and inconsistencies with the plethora of hurlers Houston has tried to fill out the rotation with, all eyes will be on Garcia, the once-budding star, as soon as he can make his return. That might seem like a lot of pressure to put on a pitcher who last threw a big league pitch 28 months ago, but Garcia seems up to the task.

With four starts and 17.1 innings under his belt for Triple-A Sugar Land, Garcia has posted a sparkling 2.60 ERA with an impressive 10.38 K/9 and an efficient 2.08 BB/9. We've all seen what Garcia can do when healthy, and if his rehab numbers are any indication, the right-hander is finally there. His return is imminent, and his impact on the Astros' chances to make some noise down the stretch and into October can't be overstated.

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