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Adolis Garcia injury scare throws Opening Day into question

Originally posted on MLB on ClutchPoints
By Russell Steinberg | Last updated Mar 4, 2025 6:42 PM ET

The 2024 Texas Rangers’ World Series championship defense fell short for a variety of reasons, but a spate of injuries was one of the main culprits.

Now, with 2025 still in the spring training stage, the injury bug is back. This time, it’s 2023 ALCS MVP Adolis Garcia. The two-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner in right field was scratched from the Rangers’ Cactus League game on Tuesday against the Athletics with a left oblique injury. He will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, per the team.

“He’s gonna miss a little bit of time,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said, via Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. “We’re hoping not much. I can’t tell you until we get the results from that MRI.”

It’s the same oblique that caused Garcia problems during Texas’ championship run. That injury caused him to miss the final two games of the World Series.

Now, with Opening Day still weeks away, the team can exercise some caution, even if that means Garcia misses the start of the regular season. Another Rangers outfielder, 23-year-old Wyatt Langford, is already out with an oblique injury. He’s working his way back and Bochy said he could play in a spring training game later this week.

Rangers OF Adolis Garcia looks to bounce back from a rough 2024

Texas Rangers right fielder Adolis Garcia (53) rounds the bases on a two-run home run against the Oakland Athletics during the third inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Entering his age 32 season, Garcia has two years left of team control. He’s set to make $9.25 million in 2025, but can make an additional $11 million depending on where he falls in MVP voting.

But there’s more than money on the line for Garcia. He’s coming off the worst year of his Major League career in 2024 — one in which he slashed only .224/.284/.400. He still hit 25 home runs, but even that was his worst mark out of the four complete seasons he has played in the Majors.

For a player in their mid-20s, that’s a down year. For a player in his 30s like Garcia, that’s going to raise some concerns about what he has left in the tank.

But Garcia is looking to do more than prove he’s still an All-Star. He set a goal for himself that’s well beyond anything he’s done so far.

“50 home runs and 100 RBIs,” he told reporters in February when asked about his expectations after adjusting his swing and, at that point, getting healthy.

The comment may have been in jest, as he followed that up with “maybe 30, 40 [home runs],” but regardless, there’s no question he still has high hopes for what he can contribute in 2025.

This article first appeared on MLB on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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