Outfielder underwent surgery to treat both a fracture and a disc i sue in his lower back today, according to a report from . A timetable for his recovery was not provided. The news comes just a few months after the Marlins decided to the veteran outfielder partway through the third season of his four-year, $53MM deal with the club. It became clear almost immediately that the deal was a mistake on the part of the Marlins as Garcias first season in Miami saw him hit a paltry .224/.266/.317 (61 wRC+) in 380 trips to the plate. He spent nearly two months on the IL due to hamstring i sues near the end of that year, and a combination of back and hamstring i sues limited the veteran to just 169 trips to the plate over the next two seasons prior to his release. Garcia had struggled badly throughout his limited time on the field over the past two seasons, as well. In those aforementioned 169 plate appearances, he struck out at a 30.8% clip while slashing just .203/.246/.335 (53 wRC+). Those ghastly numbers were certainly more than enough justification for the Marlins to move on from the veteran and dedicate his playing time to young players. With that being said, news of Garcias surgery provides an interesting Antonius Cleveland Jersey bit of context to his deep struggles with the Marlinsparticularly given the fact that he mi sed three months due to a back injury in 2023. Given the amount of time Garcia spent on the IL during his tenure in Miami, its not hard to imagine his back and hamstring i sues played a large role in his sudden decline. After all, the outfielder was coming off a strong platform season where he posted a 115 wRC+ and slugged 29 homers for the Brewers. On top of that, Garcia had a track record of solid production dating back half a decade at that point. After generally being a below average hitter early in his career, from 2017 to 2021 Garcia slashed .278/.335/.464 (113 wRC+) while oscillating between being roughly league average and above average with the bat depending on the year. Garcia did not sign with another club this year following Miamis decision to part ways with him, but its po sible that news of his back surgery could lead to interest from clubs who wonder if he might be able to regain some of his old form if hes now properly healthy. Thats likely a long-shot to come to pa s with Garcia staring own his age-34 season after three straight unproductive campaigns, but its still feasible to imagine a club taking a no-risk minor league flier on him this offseason. If Garcia were to make an MLB roster next year, his new club would only be on the hook for a pro-rated portion of the big league minimum while the Marlins pay out his $12MM salary for 2025. Nate Hinton Jersey