CINCINNATI — Luis Garcia Jr. had endured enough.

The Nationals’ first baseman could no longer tolerate the pain and discomfort he was feeling in his right wrist. Garcia said he had been playing through the injury since April, but in last week’s series finale against the Brewers, the pain became untenable. He exited the game to get his wrist checked out.

The MRI revealed a minor sprain, and letting the injury heal would be best for Garcia. He sat until Friday’s win against the Marlins, when he had one pinch-hit appearance.

On Saturday, Garcia took part in batting practice and manager Blake Butera said that it was “probably the best BP I’ve ever seen him take.”

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The sprain sapped Garcia’s power and his production was plummeting. Before his days off to rest the wrist, Garcia was batting .234 with a .595 OPS.

Since returning, Garcia has been on a tear, collecting five hits in the last two games of the Marlins series, and his torrid pace continued in Tuesday’s 10-4 win over the Reds at Great American Ballpark.

In the third inning, James Wood and Garcia slugged back-to-back homers to give the Nationals (20-22) a 2-0 lead. Daylen Lile added another solo homer in the fourth, but Washington hitters would have to stay on the attack.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Reds (22-20) scored a run with the bases loaded after Matt McLain grounded into a force out. Starter Miles Mikolas walked Will Benson to load the bases again with one out before being replaced by Brad Lord. The Reds then scored another run after Brady House wasn’t able to field a routine groundball that cut the lead to 3-2. Lord induced an inning-ending double play to limit the damage.

Garcia extended the lead when he got all of a first-pitch sweeper for a solo homer to open the fifth. Then, after House walked, CJ Abrams singled and Jacob Young grounded into a force out to put runners on first and third, Lile cleared the bases with a three-run shot to give the Nationals a 7-2 lead.

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Lile and Garcia became the sixth pair of Nationals to have multi-homer games in the same game, and the first since 2019 when Brian Dozier and Juan Soto accomplished that feat.

After a quiet spell to end April and begin May, the Nationals’ offense is showing that it can be a driving force for the team, even as the pitching staff remains inconsistent and the defense shaky.

Garcia’s recent surge lengthens a Nationals lineup that has been light on production outside of Abrams, Wood, Lile and Jose Tena. The Nationals would no doubt welcome the return of the power production Garcia showed when he slugged 18 homers in 2025 and 16 in 2026.

Even as the Nationals embrace offensive versatility, slug still rules in the majors, and a healthy Garcia adds another dynamic to their offense.