Blue Jays' reliever taking a step back in his recovery process

"Yimi Garcia was getting ready to begin his rehab assignment, by starting a game for the FCL Blue Jays. It's one of many steps on the road to recovery, but always an important one. It usually means the player is closing in on their big league return and getting work in against live batters in a live game can help give the player and the team get a good read on just how far away they might be."

"But that's when everything goes well and for Garcia, that was not the case when he was lifted from the game after he pitched to four batters this past Thursday. It's not clear if the plan was for Garcia to only face four hitters maximum or not. He got two quick outs before he allowed back-to-back singles and his night was over."

"The plan could have been to only let him go one full inning, but it does seem a little more worrisome now after the latest reports indicate that Garcia was experience more soreness than usual following the outing. The Blue Jays have postponed his next outing, depending on how he responds to the extended rest. The hope was that he would be back in a game later this week."

"If he is, that's great news, but with the way the season has gone for the Blue Jays in 2026, you'd be forgiven if you didn't catch a single Blue Jays' fan that was holding their breath on this one. Garcia's return could take longer than anticipated. The Blue Jays haven't had any luck in the injury department this season."

Yimi Garcia began a rehab assignment with the FCL Blue Jays as a step toward returning to the major leagues. He was removed after pitching to four batters, recording two quick outs before allowing back-to-back singles. The plan for his workload was unclear, but the outing raised concern because he experienced more soreness than usual afterward. The Blue Jays postponed his next rehab outing and will decide timing based on how he responds to extended rest. The expectation was a return later in the week, but the team’s 2026 injury struggles add uncertainty to how quickly he can come back.

Read at Jays Journal