Texas Rangers right fielder Adolis Garcia (53) reacts to striking out against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the second inning at Globe Life Field. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Rangers Desperately Need Adolis García of Old for Huge Upcoming Astros Series

Originally posted on Texas Rangers on SI
By Matt Postins | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 8:00 PM ET

Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis García has missed the last two games with a quad injury he suffered on Monday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Texas lost both of those games. Whether that’s a coincidence or not is up for debate. What isn’t is that the Rangers could really use García when they play the Houston Astros, starting on Friday at Globe Life Field.

But Texas doesn’t need the García of this season. The Rangers need the García of last season, or better yet, the García of the 2023 American League Championship Series. His performance against the Astros in those time periods would be a massive boost to a Rangers offense that has suddenly gone dry, scoring three runs in the last two games.

The Rangers (72-69) are still in the AL Wild Card race and on the outskirts of the AL West race, which the Houston Astros lead. If Texas were to sweep Houston this weekend, it would help it in both endeavors. With a day off on Thursday, the hope is that García could be healthy enough to play.

That’s the logic behind not moving him to the 10-day injured list yet as reported by Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). The Rangers know his history against the Astros and, even though the slugger has been diagnosed with a grade two strain, he could pull a Kirk Gibson and pinch-hit in a key situation.

Adolis García Against the Astros

This season García has had a rough go of it against the Astros. He is slashing .222/.276/.481 with two home runs and three RBI. He hasn’t had a good overall season either, with a slash of .235/.277/.408 with 18 home runs and 73 RBI. He’s had a couple of quality stretches, but Texas can’t afford to give him a full series off to get right, as it did in May when the Rangers hosted the St. Louis Cardinals.

Looking back at his performance against the Astros last season and in the 2023 ALCS, it’s easy to see why the Rangers could use that García on Friday and beyond. Last year against Houston he slashed .277/.370/.340 with one home run and seven RBI. The home run was his only extra-base hit, but he went 13-for-47 at the plate, so he wasn’t a drag on the offense.

His postseason performance against the Astros in 2023 would be ideal. In seven games he slashed .357/.400/.893 with five home runs and 15 RBI. It seemed every one of those home runs had gravity attached to it as the Rangers defeated the Astros in seven games to advance to the World Series. García was named the ALCS MVP.

If that version of García could show up, then Texas’ chances of winning the series with Houston become much better.

This article first appeared on Texas Rangers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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