Joshua Rico Garcia (born January 10, 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

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

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 ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

, and

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

. He made his MLB debut in 2019 with the Rockies.

Career

Amateur career

Garcia attended the

Saint Louis School Saint Louis School, located in the neighborhood of St. Louis Heights in Honolulu, Hawaii, is a historic Catholic college preparatory school for boys. It was founded in 1846 to serve Catholics in the former Kingdom of Hawaii. Located within the ...

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

. He attended

Hawaii Pacific University Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) is a private university in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. Oceanic Institute of HPU, an aquaculture research facility, is located at Makapuu Point. HPU is also present on military installations on the island of ...

and played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Sharks Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...

, for whom he was 21–13 with a 3.10 ERA in 45 starts. He was drafted by the

in the 30th round (890th overall) of the

2016 Major League Baseball draft The 2016 Major League Baseball draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks were distributed for players who ...

Colorado Rockies

Garcia made his professional debut with the

Boise Hawks The Boise Hawks are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. Home games are played at Memorial Stadium in unincorporated Ada County, Idaho, near ...

, going 0–4 with a 6.37 ERA in innings. He played 2017 with Boise and the

Asheville Tourists The Asheville Tourists are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. It is located in Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville teams have played under the Tourists moniker in different ...

, posting a 2–6 record and 3.39 ERA in 16 games (12 starts). He split the 2018 season between the

Lancaster JetHawks The Lancaster JetHawks were a baseball team located in Lancaster, California. They were named for the city's association with the aerospace industry and played their home games at The Hangar. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League B ...

and

Hartford Yard Goats The Hartford Yard Goats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Hartford, Connecticut. The Yard Goats, which play in the Eastern League, are the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. The team was founded in 2016 when the New Britain Ro ...

, pitching to a 13–9 record and 2.96 ERA over 27 games (26 starts). Garcia was an MILB.com Organization All Star, and both a mid-season and post-season California League All Star. Garcia opened the 2019 season with Hartford before being promoted to the

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

on June 20. Combined between the two levels, in 2019 he went 10–6 with a 4.24 ERA over innings in 26 starts in which he struck out 138 batters. On August 27, 2019, the Rockies selected Garcia's contract and promoted him to the major leagues. He made his debut that night versus the

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 ...

, allowing six runs in five innings pitched. He pitched a total of six innings for the Rockies in 2019.

San Francisco Giants

On November 5, 2019, Garcia was claimed off waivers by the

. He was non-tendered on December 2, 2019, and became a free agent. Garcia later re-signed with the Giants on a minor league deal in the offseason. In 2020, Garcia registered a 5.40 ERA with 7 strikeouts in 10 innings of work. On December 2, Garcia was nontendered by the Giants. On December 3, Garcia re-signed with the Giants on a minor league contract. On March 24, 2021, it was announced that Garcia would require

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, ...

and miss the 2021 season as a result. On March 27, Garcia underwent the procedure. On November 7, Garcia elected free agency.

Baltimore Orioles

On November 10, 2021, Garcia signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

to begin the year. On June 13, 2022, Garcia was selected to the 40-man roster to replace Keegan Akin, who could not travel to Toronto for a series against the Blue Jays due to his vaccination status. In two games, he allowed one run on three hits with a strikeout in three innings pitched. He was removed from the 40-man roster and returned to Triple-A on June 17. On July 10, Garcia was selected back to the major league roster. In 6 games for Baltimore, he registered a 4.50 ERA with 2 strikeouts in 8 innings of work. On September 11, Garcia was designated for assignment following the waiver claim of

Cam Gallagher Cameron Joseph Gallagher (born December 6, 1992) is an American professional baseball catcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians. Professional career Ka ...

. On September 13, he cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A Norfolk. Garcia elected free agency following the season on November 10.

Oakland Athletics

On November 11, 2022, Garcia signed a minor league deal with the

. He began the 2023 season with the Triple-A

Las Vegas Aviators The Las Vegas Aviators, formerly known as the Las Vegas 51s and Las Vegas Stars, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Summerlin South, Nevada, a comm ...

, making 9 appearances and logging a 2.03 ERA with 19 strikeouts and 2 saves in 13.1 innings pitched. On May 4, 2023, Garcia had his contract selected to the active roster. In 7 games for Oakland, he struggled to an 8.31 ERA with 6 strikeouts in innings pitched. On July 7, he was designated for assignment following the promotion of

Cody Thomas Cody Ryan Thomas (born October 8, 1994) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He was a multi-sport athlete in college, playing both college baseball and colleg ...

. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A on July 10. However, the next day, Garcia rejected the assignment in lieu of free agency.

Washington Nationals

On July 12, 2023, Garcia signed a minor league contract with the

organization. After two scoreless appearances for the Triple–A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

, the Nationals selected Garcia to the major league roster on July 19. He allowed 4 runs on 6 hits and 4 strikeouts in 3 innings of work across 3 appearances for the Nationals. After spending a month on the injured list with biceps tendinitis, Garcia was activated and subsequently released on September 1. On September 3, Garcia re–signed with the Nationals organization on a two–year, minor league contract. He elected free agency following the 2024 season on November 4.

New York Mets

On November 6, 2024, Garcia signed a minor league contract with the

. In 24 appearances (two starts) for the Triple-A

Syracuse Mets The Syracuse Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Syracuse, New York, and play their home games at NBT Bank Stadium, which ope ...

, he logged an 0-1 record and 4.45 ERA with 37 strikeouts and one save across innings pitched. On July 3, 2025, the Mets selected Garcia's contract, adding him to their active roster. He made two scoreless appearances for New York, but was designated for assignment by the team on July 11.

New York Yankees

On July 14, 2025, García was claimed off waivers by the

. On July 18, he made his Yankees debut, allowing three earned runs in relief. The next day, Garcia was designated for assignment by New York.

New York Mets (second stint)

On July 21, 2025, Garcia was claimed off waivers by the

References

External links

Hawaii Pacific Sharks bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Rico 1994 births Living people American sportspeople of Puerto Rican descent Baseball players from Honolulu Major League Baseball pitchers Colorado Rockies players San Francisco Giants players Baltimore Orioles players Oakland Athletics players Washington Nationals players New York Mets players New York Yankees players Hawaii Pacific Sharks baseball players Boise Hawks players Asheville Tourists players Lancaster JetHawks players Hartford Yard Goats players Albuquerque Isotopes players Norfolk Tides players Las Vegas Aviators players Rochester Red Wings players Syracuse Mets players 21st-century American sportsmen