Aramis Garcia is Back in the Fold, Fully Healthy 

Aramis Garcia has been through a lot of pain in his career. As a catcher, it is to be expected. The constant foul tips that clip the few uncovered parts of his body, the backswings that clock him in the back of the head, to the grueling nature of squatting to catch 200 pitches on a hot summer day. But this season has Garcia rack up the injuries in the most unexpected ways.

First, Garcia hit the injured list on April 16 for the first time and was then activated just two weeks later on April 29. A modest stay on the IL for a very modest hand injury. After a slow start to the season thanks to the unexpected IL stint, Garcia started to pick up steam in May. He had a three-hit game on May 13, including the walk-off RBI single against Memphis in a stunning come from behind win.

From May 12 through May 26, Garcia had a hit in every game he played (seven games), and slashed .321/.345/.536 with three doubles, a homer, and six RBI. It finally seemed like he was turning a corner offensively, when a seemingly innocuous foul tip sent him back to the IL.

During the May 26 game, Garcia was catching in the eighth inning when a foul tip careened into his mitt. Except this wasn’t an ordinary foul tip. As soon as it hit Garcia’s mitt, he felt a great surge of pain. Just trying to shake it off, Garcia caught the rest of the inning and didn’t realize what had happened until he returned to the dugout.

“It was crazy how it happened. Was just a normal foul tip that I get hundreds of times a game. I didn’t really think anything of it,” Garcia said. It wasn’t until I finished the inning that I got back to the dugout and my finger looked weird.”

Looked weird might be an understatement. Garcia had dislocated his right middle finger, with the bone pushing up against the skin, threatening to break through. Not only had he dislocated, he’d gone on to catch about 10 more pitches before the inning was over with the bone almost protruding.

“I ended up finishing the inning with a dislocated finger and had no idea until the inning was even over,” Garcia said. “Honestly, when I finally took my glove off and saw it, I had to sit down because I was getting light headed. Credit to our training staff for taking care of me and keeping me calm during that time.”

Once Garcia was removed from the game and the injury diagnoses, the rehab began in earnest again for him. Unlike other injuries such as an ACL tear or broken arm, a dislocated finger leaves an athlete able to still almost fully function, which means Garcia could give himself a leg up in keeping the rest of his body in shape.

“One thing I’ve done a good job of, when I was done, was keeping my body ready. The first time wasn’t as long, this time it was four weeks. Staying as ready as possible physically, but by the end I was getting the itch to play again.”

Before that itch to play could be fully scratched for Garcia, he had to go on a rehab assignment to get himself acclimated to play again. Garcia was sent to the Phillies High-A affiliate, the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, for his rehab. He played three games with them and found the experience enlightening.

“It was pretty cool. They have a really good group down there. The staff is great. Not just getting those guys ready to play each day down there, but also ready to play at higher levels. I felt like they really enjoyed playing with each other and when you are going through the rigors of A-ball, there is something to be said about that. Being a little bit older going back to that level was really cool, just getting to be a set of ears and talk with some guys about things they are going through. It was cool for me, to just be in that position. If you stick around long enough in this game that’s the role you get pushed in to and I was happy to do it.”

Once upon a time, Garcia was in the High-A player’s shoes, getting advice and chatting with rehabbers down on assignment. Garcia was originally drafted by the Giants organization and had the opportunity to pick the brains of some of the best catchers of the last decade.

“I had older guys who would come and rehab with San Jose when I was with the Giants. It’s great interacting with those guys just getting to see how they work. For me when I was coming up, it was getting to see guys like Buster Posey, Nick Hundley, Stephen Vogt, and those veteran guys. Getting to see those guys taught me a lot.”

Now a veteran presence himself, Garcia does not take the role he has lightly and thoroughly enjoys it. Finally back off the Injured List, Garcia is looking forward to making an impact again on the field.