Dodgers: Three Underrated Players Returning From Injuries in 2018

Yimi Garcia

If you find yourself asking who Yimi Garcia is, you are most likely not alone.  After undergoing Tommy John surgery at the end of 2016, Yimi Garcia missed all of the 2017 season.  Before his arm injuries, he was one of the primary setup relievers in the Dodger bullpen.  He was in the Pedro Baez role before he succumbed to his arm troubles.

Garcia had somewhat of a breakout season in 2015 when he appeared in 59 games and hitters only hit 209 against him.  He started the 2016 season in the Dodger bullpen but didn’t last ten innings before he first went down due to his arm problems.  Garcia is equipped with a mid 90’s fastball that has horizontal movement when he is fully healthy.  He also features a slider that he was fine-tuning into his primary out pitch before he started missing time.

Next: The young talented core that drives the Dodgers

The Dodgers would like to bring Brandon Morrow back, but given that Morrow is 33 years old he is probably looking for one final payday.  If the bidding extends past a couple of years, the Dodgers would be wise to let Morrow go even though he will be hard to replace.  Yimi Garcia is one of the internal options that could replace Morrow if he can finally answer the bell in 2018.  He could find himself in a battle with Josh Fields, and Pedro Baez for one of the final spots in the pen and the competition should only help improve the Dodger bullpen.  If Yimi is finally healthy in the spring, then the Dodgers bullpen competition will be very stiff.