PHILADELPHIA – Add another name to the list of Nationals position players getting a crash course at first base: Luis García Jr.
García has been taking grounders and scooping short-hop throws at first base in recent days, learning the nuances of the position from interim manager Miguel Cairo. He’s not ready to appear there in a game yet, but he’s admittedly handled his work there so far well.
“I feel comfortable,” García said, via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “Going into it, I think I feel more comfortable than what I expected.”
Originally a shortstop coming up through the minors – and briefly in the majors in 2022 – García made the full-time move to second base later that year and has remained there since. But while his offensive production ticked up, his defensive work diminished. After rating well with 5 Outs Above Average last season, he has plummeted to minus-7 OAA this season, ranking among the worst second basemen in the majors.
With the organization still searching for a long-term answer at first base, García has become the latest current major leaguer to get a look over there. Though Josh Bell has taken over the primary starting job since the Nats designated Nathaniel Lowe for assignment, Cairo has also used utility infielder Paul DeJong and recent Triple-A call-up Andres Chaparro at first base. Catcher Keibert Ruiz, on the 7-day concussion injured list nearly two months, has been getting some work there before games.
And now García is getting a crash course himself, a request that didn’t catch him off guard.
“No, not really,” he said. “I’m here to do whatever they ask me to do. And if me playing first means that we’re going to win, then I’ll do it.”
So far, the pregame work has included ground balls and a healthy dose of bad throws from the other infield positions, forcing García to learn how to make the short-hop grabs while stretching to hold the bag. He admits that’s the biggest challenge at this point.
“It’s hard, especially how hard (infielders CJ Abrams and Brady House) throw the ball at me, and it’s a short-hop,” he said. “But I’ll get used to it.”
García says he’s not ready to play first base in a game, and Cairo didn’t make it sound like there are any immediate plans to do so. But as the final five weeks of the season play out, there could come a point where he’s comfortable enough to give it a shot and perhaps lay the foundation for more serious consideration in 2026.
“He’s embracing what we taught him,” said Cairo, a former middle infielder who enjoyed a long career thanks to his ability to move all around the field. “We’re going to find one of those days where we’re going to play him. But he’s fine about it. He can play first, he can play second. I know if I put him at third base, something like that, I know he can do that. He used to be a shortstop. If you can play shortstop, you can play anywhere.”
Though he’s still only 25, García has already been in the big leagues for parts of six seasons. He’s learned along the way to prioritize team needs over his own selfish preferences.
“Everybody here, they’re here to compete, right?” he said. “And if the front office thinks that me playing first base is going to make the team even more competitive next year, then I’m all-in for it. But so far, I think we have a really good team.”