The Yankees had planned to give Deivi Garcia a start this weekend in Detroit even before Corey Kluber’s injury, as the team is in a stretch of 13 games in a row (Wednesday’s rainout notwithstanding) and 26 games in 27 days.
However, with Kluber set to be out for at least the next two months, Garcia has an opportunity to perhaps step into his rotation spot, and
“This opportunity is very important for me as a young player, and I’ve always said it’s important to stay healthy and available for an opportunity like this,” Garcia said Friday through team interpreter Marlon Abreu. “Physically, I feel very good. I understand that I haven’t been as consistent as I want to be just yet, but I feel good and I’m excited for the opportunity.”
Garcia looked impressive at times in six starts in 2020, but he struggled in spring training, allowed two runs in four innings in his lone spot start so far this year, and he has a 5.17 ERA and 1.6 WHIP in four Triple-A starts so far, pitching just 15 2/3 innings in those starts and allowing 12 walks.
“I think my delivery (is key to inconsistency); it’s very important for me, and it’s one of the things I’ve been working on cleaning up and fine-tuning,” Garcia said. “I lose balance and release point that causes me to lose my command – sometimes I overdo it, and sometimes I don’t do it enough – but I can tell right away when it’s happening, and I know I can make adjustments during the game.”
“I just want him to be the best version of himself,’’ manager Aaron Boone said of that notion. “We’ve seen him have varying levels of success for us last year. We know what he’s capable of. It’s just about being consistent with his delivery, and his pitch selection and stuff.”
Boone would not guarantee that Garcia, who is one of the Top 3 prospects in the organization, will be the guy filling Kluber’s spot in perpetuity. Garcia said he’s ready to assume the responsibility, but with Michael King, who backed up Kluber Tuesday, set to at least be a bulk pitcher on Sunday thanks to the Thursday doubleheader and veterans like Nestor Cortes and Mike Montgomery in Triple-A, the Yankees have options, and the skipper is willing to get creative given the upcoming schedule.
“We have other guys in the minor leagues or even in the taxi squad right now who could be contributors, so we’ll see,” Boone said. “Once we get out of this stretch of games, I think we have three off days in eight days, so we might be able to get creative there. Certainly there are opportunities that are presenting themselves right now. We’ll see who takes advantage.”
The skipper is confident, however, that Garcia could be the one to do so.
“We’ve seen plenty of examples, down in the minors where he’s had a couple of really dynamic starts,” Boone said. “It’s about being consistent and maintaining command; if he does that, he’s capable of being very successful.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch