Nationals first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. was on hug watch after he was pulled from Friday’s matchup against the Braves. Turns out it was just a bit of knee soreness, and Garcia is back in the lineup tonight. He remains a name to monitor ahead of Monday’s trade deadline. Among the teams interested in Garcia’s services are the Yankees, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
New York has been actively looking for offensive upgrades, though their focus has been on right-handed bats. The club has been recently linked to Orioles outfielder Taylor Ward and Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson. The Yankees have a longstanding interest in Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers. As Sherman points out, the lefty-swinging Garcia isn’t an ideal fit. He’s limited to first base, where the club has Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt. Giancarlo Stanton will eventually take over DH.
The Yankees recently lost Cody Bellinger to a significant hamstring injury. The lineup has been without reigning MVP Aaron Judge since the end of May. New York has scored the fifth-fewest runs in the league since Judge went down. The club ranks 29th in wRC+ over that stretch. Adding another bat to the mix is the primary goal for general manager Brian Cashman, even if Garcia is an imperfect fit.
The 26-year-old Garcia is having a career season. He’s posted a 135 wRC+ heading into Saturday’s action, which ranks 19th among all qualified hitters. The infielder has already set a career high with 23 home runs. Garcia fell a single short of the cycle in Atlanta on Thursday. The performance pushed his OPS to .882, exactly 150 points above his career mark.
Washington has shielded Garcia from left-handers this season for obvious reasons. He has a sub-.600 OPS against same-handed pitching as a big leaguer. He’s been an above-average bat versus righties in his career. The 2026 campaign has been no different. Garcia is slashing a robust .292/.323/.588 against right-handed pitching this year.
The new regime in D.C. also moved Garcia to first base. He put up a miserable -17 Defensive Runs Saved at second base last season. Garcia has been perfectly average at the cold corner, with zero DRS through 92 games. Unremarkable defense is certainly good enough given Garcia’s contributions at the plate.
Garcia has one year of team control remaining after this year. He’s not a lock to get moved, but he might fall on the sell side with the Nats looking to play both sides of the market at the deadline. One Washington player who isn’t expected to be on the move is CJ Abrams. The shortstop is not available, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Abrams is putting together a borderline MVP-level season. He launched another home run on Friday, extending his career high to 28. Abrams is second in the majors with 83 RBI, one behind Reds infielder Sal Stewart. Washington listened to offers for the shortstop over the offseason, but the club’s leap forward this year seems to have quelled the desire to move him. The 25-year-old Abrams has two years of team control beyond this season. He and James Wood could be the focal point of Washington’s next contender, even if the team falls short of the postseason in 2026.
