The Pittsburgh Pirates made a handful of notable acquisitions this past offseason. One of the biggest moves the Pirates made this past offseason was acquiring outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia (along with flamethrowing pitching prospect Jesus Travieso) from the Boston Red Sox, in exchange for Johan Oviedo and two prospects. Since returning from the injured list, ‘The Password’ has done nothing but rip the cover off the ball. The Pirates must choose him over Jake Mangum, another offseason trade acquisition.
The Pirates must choose to promote Jhostynxon Garcia over Jake Mangum
A poor start to 2026, but an immediate rebound
Garcia definitely did not start 2026 off on the right foot, after a strong spring training. He had just nine hits and one extra base hit (a double) throughout his first 59 plate appearances of the season at Triple-A Indianapolis. He drew just two walks and struck out 18 times. He then landed on the injured list on April 15 with back tightness. However, the injury has definitely not lingered since his return to action.
Garcia has stepped to the plate 30 times since the start of his rehab at A-Ball Bradenton through his return to Triple-A Indy. In that time, he has collected 13 hits, with at least one base knock in six of his last seven games. Over half of Garcia’s hits have gone for extra bases. That includes a whopping six home runs and a double. He has struck out just five times and has a pair of walks.
Garcia’s most recent contest at the time of writing makes the point of promoting him all the more important. He went five-for-five in his first game back at Indy since landing on the IL. Of those five hits, three were home runs. His two other hits were singles. All but one of Garcia’s five hits left the bat slower than 107 MPH.
Jhostynxon Garcia’s first 3 at-bats of the day for the Triple-A @indyindians:
⚫️ 107.3 mph homer
🟡 109.9 mph homer
⚫️ 113.5 mph homer@Pirates | @YoungBucsPIT pic.twitter.com/ZWG31wgE9z— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 12, 2026
Pirates Mangum is not living up to his rookie year
While Mangum was not a Silver Slugger candidate in his rookie season, he delivered enough with the bat to get ample playing time. The switch-hitting outfielder slashed .296/.330/.368 with a .307 wOBA and 95 wRC+ over 428 plate appearances. Although Mangum walked only 4.4% of the time, he also posted a healthy 15% strikeout rate. He hit just three home runs, but used his 93rd percentile sprint speed to swipe 27 bags over 33 attempts.
THE MAYOR GETS THE JOB DONE
PIRATES TAKE THE LEAD IN THE 9TH WITH A JAKE MANGUM RBI!!!!! pic.twitter.com/rvy3I8Kjq8
— Platinum Key (@PlatinumKey13) April 23, 2026
This year, Mangum is batting .260/.333/.288 with a .286 wOBA, and 77 wRC+. Only two of his hits have gone for extra bases, both of which were doubles. While Mangum has increased his walk rate to a solid 8.5% mark, it has come at the cost of more swings and misses and more strikeouts. In 2025, his whiff rate was just 18.9%, which was in the 81st percentile of batters. His whiff rate this year is 23.5%, and his strikeout rate has risen to 22%.
Mangum’s defense has also not lived up to his rookie season. Last year, he had +2 defensive runs saved and +6 outs above average while spending time between all three outfield positions. This year, he has +2 DRS; however, he already has -2 OAA in just 164 innings in the field. Although he has a strong outfield arm, he has made mistakes when throwing to bases. Mangum recently landed on the IL with a hamstring injury.
Where Garcia fits into the Pirates’ lineup
There is definitely a path for Garcia to get at least semi-regular playing time in the Major Leagues. The Pirates do not have an answer when a left-handed starter takes the mound. Garcia had an OPS over .850 against Southpaws in the minor leagues last year. Mangum was already getting semi-regular playing time as well. He started five of his last eight games, which ranged from April 26 through May 5.
With how poorly Jake Mangum has gotten off to, and how good Jhostynxon Garcia has performed since coming off the IL, the Pirates need to seriously consider calling him to the Major Leagues for his Pirates debut. Garcia is capable of playing all three outfield spots and provides a much-needed right-handed hitting outfield option for the Bucs. He will help sustain their early season success, likely much more than Mangum will.
Main Image Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
