Former Dodgers Outfielder, Now 49, Recently Suffered Stroke

Former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Karim Garcia announced via Instagram that he is recovering from a stroke.

Garcia 's post, which was translated from Spanish to English, said the stroke "affected a large part of the right side of my brain."

"Thank God I am doing very well, I can move my arms and legs without difficulty, eat by myself, bathe myself, see perfectly," Garcia wrote in Spanish. "There are some words that I have trouble pronouncing, but as the doctors say, this is very recent and with therapy and the support of my family, I know I will overcome it."

Garcia, a native of Sonora, enjoyed a diverse baseball career spanning multiple leagues and countries. He played two seasons in Japan, one in Korea, and spent the final six years of his professional career (2011-16) exclusively in Mexico. Internationally, he represented Mexico as an outfielder in the World Baseball Classic tournaments in 2006, 2009, and 2013.

In his 10-year MLB career, Garcia played for the Dodgers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, and Cleveland. Over 488 games, he posted a .241 batting average with 66 home runs and 212 RBIs.

In December, Garcia was announced as a member of the 2025 Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame class.

"I never imagined belonging to the Hall of Fame of the Caribbean Series," Garciasaid in a CBPC press release in December. "For me, the Series is something very special, and I always longed to go there to meet the players of the other teams."

Garcia competed in six Caribbean Series tournaments representing Mexico, earning championships in 2011 and 2013 with Yaquis de Obregón. Across his Caribbean Series career, he tallied six home runs and 15 RBIs.

The next step in Garcia's career will hopefully be coaching in Major League Baseball.

"I love hitting. I love talking about hitting," Garcia told the Chosen Baseball Journey podcast, "and looking for certain things when you are at the game — things that regular guys, regular fans don't see. I love to explain to them how to look at it, and how to approach the mental parts and then the hitting part — which is just your normal mechanics."

Garcia spent parts of three seasons with the Dodgers making his big league debut with the team on Sept. 2, 1995. He appeared in 29 games for Los Angeles from 1995-97.