The New York Yankees have designated former top pitching prospect Deivi Garcia for assignment, according to a team announcement.
The Yankees also placed Carlos Rodon on the injured list with a strained hamstring and activated reliever Jonathan Loaisiga from the injured list. The Yankees also recalled journeyman lefty Nick Ramirez from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Garcia spent most of the season in Scranton and posted a 5.67 ERA in 28 games (one start). His strikeouts per nine innings (K/9) dipped to 4.8 and walks continued to be an issue. As of now, the 24-year-old has 4.7 walks per nine innings (BB/9) in seven minor league seasons.
Garcia also posted a 1.59 ERA in a cup of coffee with the big league club.
And at this rate, that will be Deivi Garcia’s legacy: A cup of coffee with the Yankees during the shortened 2020 season. He was called up from minor league camp and debuted with six innings of one-run ball against the Mets. Garcia then finished the season with a 4.98 ERA over six starts before a controversial playoff start in the ALDS.
Since then, Garcia has made just four appearances with the Yankees since 2021, posting a 4.50 ERA. He never captured his old form down in the minors, and Keith Law of The Athletic blames new mechanics.
It’s a sad end for someone who was not only the Yankees’ top prospect at one point, but someone hyped as a potential ace. The diminutive righty drew immediate comparisons to Pedro Martinez, standing just 5-foot-9 and 163 pounds. He even rocketed through the Yankees’ farm system in 2019, pitching at three levels with 13.3 K/9.
What went wrong is simple. Deivi Garcia had a solid fastball and curveball and was also learning a changeup, and suddenly ditched the curve for a slider to disastrous results. The Yankees, unfortunately, could never fix it and will hopefully avoid the same fate with Randy Vasquez.
As for Deivi Garcia, here’s hoping he catches on with another team and gets back to his original form.
