Robert Garcia

Garcia got the call tonight with Luke Jackson having pitched the previous two days and retired the Angels on five pitches. Even though he’s the better reliever of the two, he’ll likely resume taking a backseat to Jackson on Friday.

Garcia’s 4/3 K/BB isn’t worth writing home about, but he’s allowed just one hit in 6 1/3 scoreless innings this spring. He’ll certainly be part of the late-game mix for the Rangers, and he might get some save chances early on.

Garcia missed some time at the outset of Rangers camp due to nerve irritation in his left forearm, but hasn’t experienced any setbacks, and will make his spring debut early next week. The 28-year-old figures to operate in high-leverage spots in his Texas debut and would be in the mix to close if veteran Chris Martin misses any time due to injury.

It’s an encouraging development that Garcia was able to get through the side session without any issue after dealing with nerve irritation in his forearm earlier in camp. The 28-year-old should progress to facing hitters in the coming days, barring an unexpected setback.