Red Sox promote prospect Jhostynxon Garcia, place OF Wilyer Abreu on injured list
NEW YORK (AP) — After calling up highly-rated prospects Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer in June, the Red Sox added another prospect Thursday when they recalled outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia from Triple-A Worcester.
Garcia was called up to replace Wilyer Abreu, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain. Abreu originally was injured Sunday and the move is retroactive to Monday.
The 22-year-old Garcia signed with the Red Sox as a non-drafted free agent from Venezuela in 2019 and is Boston’s No. 3 prospect according to MLB.com, which also ranks him as the 77th overall prospect in baseball.
He was given the nickname “The Password” by fans on social media due to the spelling of his first name.
“He swings a lot,” manager Alex Cora said about Garcia before the Red Sox opened a four-game series with the Yankees. “Drives the ball to right-center, can do that with two strikes. He’s a great defender and a good baserunner.”
Garcia was not in the starting lineup Thursday but is likely to start in center field Friday.
Garcia has split this season between Double-A Portland and Worcester and hit .289 with 20 homers, 73 RBIs and an .875 OPS while primarily starting in center field. With Worcester, Garcia is hitting .303 with 17 homers and 56 RBIs.
Abreu is hitting .253 with a team-leading 22 homers and 69 RBIs in 108 games. Cora said he did not get any testing but is optimistic Abreu will miss the minimum amount of time.
“I think it’s the right move and hopefully he’ll be back with us as soon as possible,” Cora said.
Promoting Garcia and putting Abreu on the IL was among five roster moves for the Red Sox, who began Thursday with eight losses in their last 12 games and trail the Yankees by two games for the AL’s first wild-card.
Infielder David Hamilton was recalled from Worcester along with pitcher Richard Fitts. Boston also designated infielder Abraham Toro for assignment.
Hamilton, who hit eighth and started at second base Thursday, is hitting .174 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 69 games this season. He also has 17 stolen bases in 21 chances after stealing 33 bases in 98 games last season.
Toro hit .239 with seven homers and 27 RBIs in 77 games. He batted .271 before the All-Star break but hit .171 over his last 25 games.
“We’re not here without him,” Cora said about Toro. “He did an amazing job.”
Fitts is 1-4 with a 4.83 ERA in 10 starts for the Red Sox, who acquired him from the Yankees for Alex Verdugo in December 2023. He last started for Boston on July 28 in Minnesota and was 2-1 with a 4.00 ERA in six starts at Worcester.
Walker Buehler, who is 7-7 with a 5.40 ERA in 22 starts, is slated to start Monday in Baltimore but Cora said the Red Sox had not talked about it yet.
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