PHOENIX - Texas Rangers All-Star right fielder Adolis García exited Game 3 of the World Series against the Diamondbacks on Monday due to left side tightness. He grabbed his side after a swing in the top of the eighth inning and Travis Jankowski took over for him in right field for the bottom of the inning. García underwent an MRI post-game, and was diagnosed with a moderate strain of the oblique. On Tuesday, his season came to an end.
The Rangers removed García and right-handed starter Max Scherzer from their World Series roster. The decision means both García and Scherzer won't play again in the World Series. It's a major blow for Texas, which entered Game 4 with a 2-1 series lead.
Oblique strains tend to require weeks to heal. Baseball Prospectus' recovery database estimates that the average timetable to return is 38 days. Obviously the Rangers and García did not have the luxury of that kind of time.
Here's a look at the swing where García appeared to aggravate his left side:
Adolis García left the game with left side tightness after this swing in the eighth inning pic.twitter.com/2wdUk3cLOs
— kennedi landry (@kennlandry) October 31, 2023
García missing the rest of the series obviously takes the Rangers' offense down a notch. He's been their cleanup hitter -- shifted to third for Game 3 -- and has already set the record for most RBI in a single postseason. In 15 playoff games, he had hit .323/.382/.726 with eight home runs (including a walk-off blast in Game 1) and a 22 RBI.
Utility man Ezequiel Duran replaced García on the roster.
