As the Red Sox continue seeking out potential options at first base, one of the club’s top prospects is getting an opportunity to prove he belongs in the mix.
Jhostynxon Garcia, currently ranked as Boston’s No. 3 prospect by MLB Pipeline, made his first professional appearance at first base for the WooSox on Sunday. The outfielder had recently begun taking grounders at the position, and this weekend marked his first opportunity to play first in a game.
Originally signed as an international free agent 2019, Garcia broke out as one of the top prospects in the Red Sox system last year and has continued to rise through the ranks ever since. Nicknamed “The Password” thanks to his unique first name, Garcia was promoted to Triple-A in late May and has dominated, batting .309 with 17 home runs, 55 RBI and a .950 OPS in his first 64 games with the WooSox.
Despite his production, the right-handed hitter faced a crowded road to the big leagues with so many other outfielders already on the roster. Adding first base to his repertoire could potentially open up a path to the big leagues, possibly as soon as this September.
Since Triston Casas went down with a season-ending knee injury on May 2, Red Sox first basemen — primarily Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro — have collectively batted .255 with a .722 OPS. Toro in particularly has cooled off since his hot start and came into Sunday batting .183 with a .536 OPS since the All-Star break.
In addition to Garcia, the Red Sox have also been playing Kristian Campbell regularly at first base in hopes that he could emerge as an option at the position. Campbell has played 24 games at first base since his demotion to Triple-A, though Sunday he got the start at center field, his first action at that position since playing seven games in center with the big league club early on.
Starters announced
The Red Sox announced their starting pitchers for this week’s upcoming two-game series against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park. Dustin May (7-8, 4.67) will take the mound in Monday’s series opener and Walker Buehler (7-7, 5.43) will get the ball for Tuesday’s finale.
