The Philadelphia Phillies took a gamble when signing a faltering Adolis García to a one-year, $10 million deal this past offseason. Until just recently, the naysayers were quick to tell fans who held out hope to see García return anywhere close to his 2024 American League Championship Series MVP-caliber play, "I told you so." But after the Phillies' series at home against the San Diego Padres, it felt like the former Gold Glove right fielder was finally starting to turn the corner.
Well, the baseball Gods quickly giveth, they just as swiftly can taketh away, as García left Wednesday night's contest in the seventh inning with what seemed to be a pulled muscle around his right shoulder area. It's been since reported he may miss the entire 2026 season.
Sure, García hasn't been setting the world on fire offensively, but defensively, one could make the argument that this is the best right field has looked in years. And, if anything, Wednesday night's play proved it. Interim Manager Don Mattingly told reporters that there was "a little bit" of concern, and said that after some imaging planned for Thursday's off day, they will "hope for the best."
“García is receiving another medical opinion before it’s determined whether he will have surgery. Regardless, it seems likely he won’t play again this season.”
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) June 13, 2026
-@ScottLauber https://t.co/nr6TgzpOdj pic.twitter.com/PefKgYcpPL
But now it's threat-level midnight, and the Phillies already made a trade to address the issue by acquiring Derek Hill from the White Sox.
With Adolis García injured, who from the Phillies farm could be waiting in the wings?
The Phillies called up Gabriel Rincones Jr. and he's currently with the team in Milwaukee as Mattingly tries to piece things together. But there could be another option.
Plug-and-play utilityman Félix Reyes is with the Triple-A IronPigs and will definitely get a look at some point, depending on how the current alignment shakes out.
After a storybook call-up in April, Reyes hit a solo shot off of Atlanta Braves' Cy Young winner Chris Sale in just his first at-bat. After that, however, Reyes didn't give the Phillies the same offensive "spark" the coaching staff had hoped for him to be, posing the question if he's a "Quad A player" — one who excels in the minors, but is just unable to keep up with the rigor of major league play.
He was sent back down to the IronPigs on May 19, and since then has been on an absolute tear at the plate, including hitting a go-ahead three-run shot on the same night that García went down. He is easily one of the most feared minor league hitters, currently batting .303/.328/.624 with the IronPigs. However, Reyes' .158 average in the bigs is concerning.
With more time to hone his skills in Triple-A, he has perhaps refined his mechanics, hopefully better preparing him for top-notch pitching if given the chance to play at the highest level again. For now, it's a wait and see game as we wait for an official diagnosis on García.
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