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Astros Officially Activate Luis Garcia As MLB Rosters Expand

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI | By Brad Wakai | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 12:19 PM ET

It was being whispered that Luis Garcia might make his long-awaited return to the Houston Astros on Labor Day Monday, and that is exactly what is going to happen.

In an announcement made by the team, they revealed that the right-hander has been activated off the 60-day injured list. He will be the starting pitcher as the team tries to salvage a split with the Los Angeles Angels after dropping their last two contests of this four-game series.

Garcia isn't the only one who is joining the active roster, either. As part of the MLB rosters expanding from 26 men to 28 on Sept. 1, outfielder Taylor Trammell has also been activated off the injured list, with infielder Logan Davidson getting designated for assignment.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/3xu4mkLI3v
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 1, 2025

It appeared like Trammell might have suffered a potential season-ending injury on Aug. 20. After he crashed into the outfield wall, he staggered around before going to his knees and getting carted off the field. That came one day after he made an awkward catch in foul territory where it appeared like he might have tweaked something in his leg.

But thankfully for both Trammell and the team, he avoided serious injury following his collision with the wall, as he was diagnosed with a cervical muscle strain and was placed in concussion protocol.

The 27-year-old has not provided much with the bat in his hand this season, slashing .208/.313/.354 with three home runs and 11 RBI across 42 games. But he has been elite on defense, owning a perfect fielding percentage with an outfield assist and a defensive run saved in limited action.

Luis Garcia Makes His Return To Astros Rotation

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The storyline of the day is Garcia making his return, though. Because he's been on the shelf for so long and was such an impactful starter for Houston before he got injured, seeing how he looks in his first start back is what people are going to be paying attention to on Monday.

He's slated to pitch opposite of Yusei Kikuchi, the former Astros pitcher who was acquired ahead of the trade deadline last year. Kikuchi has carried over his strong performance with Houston into this season, owning a 3.86 ERA across 28 starts. However, he has struggled a bit on the road with a 1-7 record and a 5.25 ERA in 14 outings.

The left-hander's familiarity with Daikin Park could be a factor in this one, which means Houston's offense has to show up if they want to give their returning starter some run support.

First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. CT.