Astros lose ace pitcher to Tommy John surgery

Sep 27, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Luis Garcia (77) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros on Friday announced some unfortunate news about one of their pitchers.

Luis Garcia was removed from his start against the San Francisco Giants on Monday after just eight pitches due to discomfort in his elbow. He underwent an MRI, which revealed he had a torn UCL.

On Friday, Astros GM Dana Brown announced that Garcia needs to undergo Tommy John surgery, which will knock the pitcher out for the season and likely half of 2024.

No date set for Luis Garcia's Tommy John surgery, which usually carries a 12-14 month recovery. This will take Garcia out for the remainder of this season and at least half of 2024.

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) May 6, 2023

No date for the surgery has been scheduled yet.

Garcia had been a top pitcher for the Astros ever since being called up in 2020. The 26-year-old has gone 28-19 with a 3.61 ERA during his career, recording 364 strikeouts in 352 innings.

Though he has been shakier in the postseason, where he has a career 5.79 ERA, Garcia still helped his team win the World Series last year.

Prior to this issue, Garcia had never been on the injured list.