Justin Charles Garza (born March 20, 1994) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

and

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

. He made his MLB debut in 2021.

Early life and amateur career

Garza grew up in

Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, it lies ...

, and attended

Bonita High School Bonita High School is a high school located in the city of La Verne, California in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Opened in 1903, it was the first high school in the Bonita Unified School District. It moved to its current campus in 19 ...

. He was named a high school All-American as a senior by ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

'' after posting a 12–1 record on the mound with a 0.72

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) and 101 strikeouts over 88

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

. Garza was selected in the 26th round of the

2012 MLB draft The 2012 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto Rico Baseball Ac ...

by the

, but opted not to sign. Garza played college baseball for the

Cal State Fullerton Titans The Cal State Fullerton Titans (also known as CSUF or Fullerton Titans) are the sport, athletic teams that represent California State University, Fullerton. The Titans are a member of the NCAA Division I level. The Titans compete within the Big W ...

for three seasons. As a freshman, he went 12–0 with a 2.03 ERA and a team-leading 95 strikeouts and was named the

Big West Conference The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's NCAA Division I, Division I. The conference was origina ...

pitcher of the year. Garza's junior season was cut short after he suffered a partially torn UCL that required

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

. He finished his collegiate career with 21–7 career record with a 2.64 ERA and 208 strikeouts in innings pitched.

Professional career

Cleveland Indians / Guardians

Garza was drafted by the

for a second time in the eighth round of the

2015 MLB draft The 2015 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 8 through June 10, 2015, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2014 MLB season standings. As the Diamondbacks finished the 2014 season ...

. After signing with the team, Garza spent rest of the 2015 and much of the 2016 rehabbing from his surgery before being assigned to the

Arizona League Indians The Arizona Complex League Guardians are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona. The team is ...

towards the end of the season. In 2017, Garza pitched for the Single-A

Lake County Captains The Lake County Captains are a Minor League Baseball team in Eastlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, that plays in the Midwest League as the High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. The Captains joined the Class A Midwest League following ...

, posting a 4–6 record and 5.83 ERA in 26 appearances. In 2018, Garza split the season between the Low-A

Mahoning Valley Scrappers The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Niles, Ohio, a city in the valley of the Mahoning River, and play their home games at Eastwood Field. From 1999 to 2020, they were ...

and the High-A

Lynchburg Hillcats The Lynchburg Hillcats are a Minor League Baseball team in Lynchburg, Virginia that plays in the Carolina League and is the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves from 2011 to 2014, the Cincinn ...

of the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

, accumulating a 5–6 record and 3.36 ERA in 18 games between the two teams. In 2019, Garza returned to Lynchburg, and pitched to a 6–9 record and 4.99 ERA with 109 strikeouts in 119 innings of work. Garza did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. To begin the 2021 season, he was assigned to the

Akron RubberDucks The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park (Akron, Ohio) ...

of the Double-A Northeast before being promoted to the Triple-A

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...

after one appearance. In 12 games with Columbus, Garza notched a stellar 0.44 ERA with 28 strikeouts. The Indians selected Garza's contract and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time on June 24, 2021. Garza made his major league debut on June 27, and pitched innings of one-run relief with three strikeouts against the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

in an 8–2 loss. Garza earned his first career win on July 31, after pitching two innings of scoreless relief in a 12–11 victory over the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. Garza was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by the newly-named Guardians on November 19, 2021. After clearing waivers, he was outrighted to Triple-A Columbus on November 24. In 37 relief outings for Columbus, Garza recorded a 4.64 ERA with 50 strikeouts and 7 saves across innings pitched. He elected minor league free agency after the season on November 10, 2022.

Los Angeles Angels

On December 12, 2022, Garza signed a one-year, major league deal with the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

. He was optioned to the Triple-A

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team that plays in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. Based in South Jordan, Utah, the team plays its home games at The Ballpark at Am ...

to start the 2023 season. He made six appearances for Salt Lake, posting a 4.32 ERA with 5 strikeouts in innings pitched before he was designated for assignment on April 21, 2023.

Boston Red Sox

On April 28, 2023, Garza was claimed off waivers by the

and was optioned to the Triple-A

Worcester Red Sox The Worcester Red Sox (nicknamed the WooSox) are a professional minor league baseball team based in Worcester, Massachusetts. Beginning play in 2021, the team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, succeeding the Pawtucket Red Sox. Th ...

. He was added to Boston's active roster on May 16, and optioned back to Worcester on July 8. Later in July, he was briefly called up for two days. In 17 games for Boston, he struggled to a 7.36 ERA with 17 strikeouts across innings of work. Following the season on November 2, Garza was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to Triple–A Worcester. He rejected the assignment and elected free agency on November 6.

San Francisco Giants

On March 7, 2024, Garza signed a minor league contract with the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. In 39 appearances for the Single–A

San Jose Giants The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Located in San Jose, California, the Giants play their home games at Excite Ballpark. Games San Jose Giants g ...

and Triple–A

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland ...

, he compiled a 5–2 record and 3.60 ERA with 63 strikeouts and 4 saves across 55 innings pitched. On November 24, 2024, Garza re-signed with the Giants on a minor league contract. Garza began 2025 with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, posting a 1–2 record and 6.11 ERA with 20 strikeouts and six saves across innings pitched.

New York Mets

On June 7, 2025, Garza was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations. On June 9, the Mets selected Garza's contract, adding him to their active roster.

References

External links

Cal State Fullerton Titans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garza, Justin 1994 births Living people Akron RubberDucks players Arizona League Indians players Baseball players from Ontario, California Boston Red Sox players Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball players Cleveland Indians players Columbus Clippers players Glendale Desert Dogs players Lake County Captains players Lynchburg Hillcats players Mahoning Valley Scrappers players Major League Baseball pitchers New York Mets players Sacramento River Cats players Salt Lake Bees players San Jose Giants players Syracuse Mets players Worcester Red Sox players