Adolis García was called up to the big leagues yesterday to add some punch to the Texas Rangers anemic offense that’s dead last in the American League.
The Texas Rangers offense is currently hitting a paltry .181. So, in order to make room on the roster for Adolis Garcia, highly touted prospect Leody Taveras was sent to the team’s alternative campsite.
García looked very good in the preseason hitting .304 with three jacks and seven runs batted in but went an unimpressive 0-3 with two punchouts in his first action with the team last night.
The native of Ciego de Ávila, Cuba made his major league debut last season with the St. Louis Cardinals and hit .118 with the ball club. The team designated García for an assignment in December of 2019.
Texas acquired the Cuban outfielder in a trade with the Cardinals three days after he was designated for assignment in exchange for cash consideration. Adolis isn’t the first García in the family to play on a grand stage, his brother Adonis played three seasons with the Braves and hit .267. The younger García made a name for himself in the 2016 Caribbean World Series went his two-run single in extra innings off ex-big leaguer Rafael Soriano gave Cuba a victory against the Dominican Republic. A tournament in which his brother coincidentally played for Venezuela.
This isn’t García ‘s first professional experience, the power-hitting outfielder was signed by the Nippon League’s Yomiuri Giants in 2016, but was later released by the ball club after not getting a hit in three games with the big club and hitting a minuscule .234 on the farm. There is speculation that García purposely caused that release in order to defect because he never made it back to Cuba from the land of the rising sun.
Adolis was a highly touted prospect in Cuba at the time of his defection and the starting centerfielder on the national team. During his career in the Serie Nacional, he hit .308 with 28 long balls and 139 RB’s with Ciego de Ávila Tigers.