CHICAGO — Deivi Garcia’s days with the Yankees could be over.
The Yankees designated Garcia for assignment Monday to make room on the 40-man roster for Jonathan Loaisiga to be activated off the 60-day injured list.
While Garcia enters limbo to see if another team claims him on waivers, it marks the latest disappointing turn in the former top prospect’s career.
Garcia, 24, had a 5.67 ERA in 28 appearances this season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as a multi-inning reliever.
The former starter pitched in two games this year for the Yankees, including recording a three-inning save in May.
“Just really has struggled to find that consistency,” manager Aaron Boone said Monday. “Has had some injuries that derailed him a little bit in different seasons.
“But really just struggled, whether it was certain times the stuff would come and go, other times the command was an issue.”
As recently as before the 2021 season, Garcia was a top-100 prospect who was projected to be part of the Yankees’ rotation of the future, even garnering comparisons to Pedro Martinez.
He flashed some of that potential during the COVID-shortened 2020 season when he recorded a 4.98 ERA in six starts.
But the right-hander only made two starts for the Yankees in 2021, giving up six earned runs in 8 ¹/₃ innings, then had a 6.89 ERA last year between Triple-A SWB and Double-A Somerset.
“It’s tough, but it doesn’t mean the end for him either,” Boone said. “He’s still a young man still with an opportunity to get better. As we’ve seen throughout this game, paths aren’t always easy and linear.
“This game’s filled with stories of ups and downs. Guys that get to the big leagues early and take a hit and struggle and then they find it or continue to make adjustments. That opportunity’s probably still there for him.”