Washington Nationals’ Christian Garcia To Get Second Opinion on Forearm

Oct 8, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Christian Garcia (56) throws to a St. Louis Cardinals batter during the fifth inning of the 2012 NLDS at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports that Christian Garcia will get a second opinion on his forearm (via Nationals.com). Ladson said that Garcia is feeling discomfort when throwing his fastball. Ladson also reported that Davey Johson said Garcia will get treatment and “wait on the other option,” which likely means surgery.

Though this news is disappointing, especially after Garcia’s great story of battling through multiple Tommy John surgeries to ultimately make the majors with the Nationals last year, it’s not as concerning from a team perspective.

The Nationals have spent the offseason focused on adding depth to the roster, signing the likes of Bill Bray, Ross Ohlendorf, Jeremy Accardo and, most recently, Chris Young to minor-league deals. Competition for bullpen spots is highly competitive this Spring, so despite Garcia’s impressive numbers last year (2.13 ERA, 10.7 K/9 ratio in 13 games), losing him would not be detrimental to the Nationals bullpen. However, he is such a great story, humble player and quality pitcher, so hopefully the injury isn’t too serious.