Red Sox outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia records 3 hits, finishes triple shy of cycle in Low-A Salem’s win

With a chance to complete the cycle in the bottom of the seventh, Garcia lined out to right field in what would prove to be his final at-bat of the night. Still, Thursday marked just the second three-hit game of Garcia’s career and his first since September 26, 2021, when he was playing in the Dominican Summer League.

Following Thursday’s strong performance, Garcia is now batting .206/.317/.312 with seven doubles, one triple, two home runs, 16 RBIs, 25 runs scored, four stolen bases, 22 walks, and 46 strikeouts in 40 games (167 plate appearances) with Salem this season. While a .629 OPS is far from eye-opening, Garcia has picked things up offensively as of late. Since returning from the All-Star break on July 14, the 20-year-old has put up a far more encouraging slash line of .279/.392/.558 over his last 12 games.

On the other side of the ball, Garcia made his 23rd start of the season in center field on Thursday night. With two outs and a runner at first base in the first inning, the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder robbed Robert Lopez of a hit by making an impressive diving catch to his right. It’s not the first time he has made a highlight reel play this year, either.

All told, Garcia has logged 195 innings in center and 125 2/3 innings in right field for Salem. Between the two positions, he has committed four errors in 92 defensive chances. He has also recorded three outfield assists and has been involved in one double play.

A native of Venezuela, Garcia originally signed with the Red Sox for $350,000 as an international free agent coming out of San Fernando de Apure in July 2019. He is the older brother of catching prospect Johanfran Garcia, who signed with Boston for $850,000 last January.

While his younger brother is the more well-regarded minor-leaguer at this point, Jhostynxon recently received some strong praise from FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen, who identified him as the No. 60 prospect in Boston’s farm system last month.

“Garcia’s power is immense for a 20-year-old,” Longenhagen wrote in part. “He is much bigger and stronger than his listed height and weight (on his minor league player page, not in this article), and has thunderous power to the opposite field. His swing’s finish is incredible, and it’s rare for a hitter this dense and strong to be that fluid in the hips.”

Garcia, who does not turn 21 until December, is showing signs of improvement as he experiences his first taste of full-season ball. It should be interesting to see if he can keep this up as the calendar flips from July to August.