Astros starter may have gotten worst possible news after having start pushed back

The Houston Astros' worst fears regarding the recently activated Luis Garcia may have just been confirmed. After a 28-month-long battle to return to the mound following Tommy John surgery and multiple setbacks, Garcia was surprisingly pushed from his scheduled start on Sunday in favor of the controversial Framber Valdez.

Garcia took the mound for his second start since being activated from the IL on Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays and lasted just... 27 pitches. Throwing 13 balls and struggling with control, Garcia pointed at his elbow and walked off with the trainer with just two outs in the second inning.

It's unclear what the extent of his latest injury is, but it is awfully curious that Houston would scratch him on Sunday just for him to leave the game early with an injury the very next day. The implications for the Astros could be significant and dire.

Astros starter Luis Garcia leaves matchup with the Blue Jays early with an apparent elbow injury

Expectations were high, and Garcia's return was much needed for an Astros rotation that has struggled to find consistency and health behind their dynamic one-two punch of Hunter Brown and Valdez.

Prior to his 2023 injury, Garcia, the 2021 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up, had looked like a budding star. Throughout his rehab appearances at Triple-A Sugar Land, he looked dominant even if he hadn't fully regained his velocity.

If this injury is significant, it can have major implications for both the Astros' playoff hopes in 2025 and Garcia's future. For the Astros, the rotation just lost Spencer Arrighetti to elbow inflammation after he had recently returned to action following a lengthy IL stint recovering from a fractured thumb, and now will miss the rest of the regular season.

Furthermore, the sheer number of elbow injuries that Astros pitchers have succumbed to has to raise some eyebrows about the coaching and training staff. Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski both went down with injuries that required Tommy John surgery earlier this year. Key relief arms Bennett Sousa and Kaleb Ort will both miss the rest of the regular season with less significant elbow troubles as well.

That's on top of the recent history with the likes of Cristian Javier suffering a torn UCL in May of 2024 and undergoing Tommy John surgery the following month. Should Garcia's injury be serious, Javier will be the last man standing from the recent rotation reinforcements, all of whom had just been activated from the injured list.

All of that has to have Houston reconsidering not going all in for San Diego Padres starter Dylan Cease at the trade deadline. By all accounts, the two clubs were close to a deal, but couldn't get it across the finish line. Houston, being in a three-way race for the division crown with the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, may now live to regret that decision.

As for Garcia, the concern has to be immense. His recovery from Tommy John surgery took nearly twice as long thanks to a myriad of arm troubles since undergoing the procedure. Another significant elbow injury could have long-term ramifications.

The Astros and Garcia will be hoping for the best. Any other outcome will seriously jeopardize Houston's playoff aspirations, but also, more importantly, could have a sad outcome for the young hurler who has maintained such a positive outlook throughout all of his trials and tribulations to return to the mound.

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