Oct 8, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Christian Garcia (56) throws to a St. Louis Cardinals batter during the fifth inning of the 2012 NLDS at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

According to CSN’s Mark Zuckerman, Christian Garcia will not pitch for the next 10-14 days with a forearm strain. He had been feeling some discomfort above his right wrist when an MRI confirmed the injury. Garcia has been particularly injury prone throughout his career, most notably having two Tommy John surgeries, but it does not appear that this injury will be a long-term concern. Garcia will be stretched out as a starter to pitch at AAA when he is deemed healthy.

February 20, 2013; Viera, FL, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Christian Garcia (56) poses for photo day at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

The team and Garcia are hoping it clears itself up in a few days, but will be monitoring the situation. It isn’t great news that this has occurred, and it is possible that it could be a medical ailment that ends up being more serious, but it isn’t as disastrous as it could have been.

Garcia’s role on the 2013 Nationals team is up in the air, but with the team wanting to turn him into a starter and the team’s bullpen jobs pretty much set – at least from the right side – Garcia looks to be starting the season in the minors. That means a slow start to Spring isn’t the end of the world and the team can still ease him along with no rushing necessary. Garcia will be available should injury or struggles hit anyone on the Nationals staff but with Zach Duke, Ross Ohlendorf and the lingering question of Javier Vazquez, the team does have some backup should Garcia’s transition not be complete.

There have already been several pitchers, including Dustin McGowan and Shelby Miller who have been slowed down or shut down already this Spring with arm ailments and there are sure to be others. The fact that Garcia’s injury is not related to his arm is a good thing for now as the Nationals get set to start their Spring schedule over the weekend.

Oct 8, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Christian Garcia (56) throws to a St. Louis Cardinals batter during the fifth inning of the 2012 NLDS at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Garcia’s route to the majors has been long and circuitous. He was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2004 MLB Draft by the Yankees out of high school as a starter. He made a strong debut in the rookie Gulf Coast League, earning a 2.84 ERA in 38.0 IP: six starts and seven relief appearances. His next year, 2005, was less promising: in 112 innings between rookie ball and full-season A ball, he had a 3.94 ERA with a 1.46 WHIP. It’s merely speculation, but perhaps that nearly-threefold innings jump made Garcia’s arm more prone to injury, leading to his torn UCL the next season. He threw only 53 innings in 2006, with a respectable 3.46 ERA in 41.2 innings of A ball play,  but an atrocious 9.53 ERA in just 11 innings rookie league action. His torn UCL that season required Tommy John surgery, like Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Lucas Giolito, and Sammy Solis have had. Recovering from his surgery caused him to miss all of the 2007 season and part of 2008.

When he finally returned in 2008, his age-22 season, he had a 4.33 ERA between rookie, High A, and AA. This figure is inflated by his 14.73 ERA in rookie ball, however, and he had solid ERAs of 2.90 and 3.38 in High A and AA respectively. His inspiring comeback faltered in 2009, however, as he threw only 25.1 innings over five starts while dealing with more pain in his pitching elbow. Despite the pain he felt, he was excellent in those few innings, with an 0.71 ERA, demonstrating flashes of the potential he once had. In 2010, his UCL tore again after only 5.2 innings. Recovering from two Tommy John surgeries is rare, and Garcia was set to become a minor league free agent after the 2010 season, so the Yankees made no effort to re-sign him. That offseason, demonstrating their penchant for damaged goods, the Nationals signed Garcia to a minor league deal. He pitched well in the few innings he returned for in 2011, with a 2.95 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 18.1 short-season A innings, in addition to two shutout AAA innings. As a reliever in 2012, his age 26 season, he finally found his niche, dominating with a 0.86 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 52.1 innings between AA and AAA. He made his long-awaited major league debut in the thick of the Nats’ division title chase, shortly after his 27th birthday, and he made his mark. His 2.13 ERA, 0.789 WHIP, and 10.7 K/9 in 12.2 demonstrated his incredible ability, and earned him a surprising spot on the playoff roster. He had a 3.38 ERA in 2.2 IP as the Nationals fell to the Cardinals. Going into 2013, Garcia appears poised to be another potent weapon in one of the NL’s best and deepest bullpens, though there are whispers of the Nationals stretching him back out to be a starter in spring training in order to account for weak starter depth in the upper levels of the minors.

Verdict: It speaks to the value of relievers that Garcia has shown himself to be capable of being a top-flight reliever at the MLB level, yet comes in on the bottom half of our list. Garcia’s worst case scenario, barring injury, is that he becomes merely an effective reliever, a fate much better than what a lot of prospects achieve. As a reliever, however, his ceiling is limited. Even the best of relievers are not particularly valuable, and reliever prospects nearly never make Top 10 lists. But as a starter, Garcia becomes a different animal entirely. He has yet to show himself to be capable of staying healthy as a starter, and by stretching him out, the Nationals run the risk of ruining his arm for good and depriving themselves of an extremely good reliever. If he can stay healthy, however, Garcia could be a frontline starter, and some say the Nationals see his stuff as a better fit for the rotation. Garcia’s health history makes him a risk regardless of what role he pitches in, but he has value as a proven reliever already. If he does get stretched out, all bets are off, and his career path could go anywhere from him tearing his UCL a third time to achieving sustained success as a dominant starter.