VYPE
Garrett Gates has seen a lot.
Originally Appeared on VYPE
When it comes to sports, Garrett Gates has seen a lot. Having played at C.E. King High School, Gates continued his baseball career at Sam Houston State in nearby Huntsville.
It was during this transition period between college and starting a career that Gates literally fell into his first coaching position.
"I knew I could be good at it (coaching) but had no idea how to get there. I substitute taught for awhile and fell in love with teaching, I knew deep down I always wanted to be a coach."
Gates would coach baseball for 15 years, first at his alma mater C.E. King and then moving onto Baytown Sterling, Crosby, and Kingwood Park. After three years at KP he decided to make the transition to the softball field, accepting the assistant JV at Hargrave High School in 2014.
"Our family had always lived in Huffman so I made a call to coach Mac (Mike McEachern) and he mentioned he had an assistant softball position available. It was totally unique to me, I didn't know god had a plan for me but it worked out really well."
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This week started on a high note for Astros fans as they were able to see Lance McCullers return and pitch in a game for the first time since 2022. McCullers looked good, only needing 13 pitches to get through the inning, and didn't allow any runs.
If McCullers continues on this path without any setbacks, we wouldn't be surprised if he's pitching for the big league club at the end of April or early May.
However, the outlook isn't nearly as positive for Luis Garcia, who is working his way back from Tommy John surgery. Garcia was expected to throw a live BP on Thursday, but those plans have now changed. According to multiple reports, Garcia is dealing with elbow soreness and will now see team doctors for further evaluation.
Luis Garcia faced hitters in October and, almost all winter, was considered ahead of Lance McCullers Jr. in their rehab schedules. It's unclear how things have derailed. The Astros reiterated this week they will not make any member of their medical staff available for interviews https://t.co/rrBg6EaG7j
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) March 20, 2025
This isn't the first time Garcia has dealt with a setback in his recovery. As Chandler Rome mentions in the post above, Garcia was expected to be ready to return before McCullers. However, complications have apparently forced the Astros to slow down Garcia's rehab, making his status for this season even more uncertain.
Fortunately for Houston, they weren't counting on Garcia or McCullers to start the season in the rotation. But, they were hoping to have both return at some point this year to add more depth to the roster.
If Garcia is shut down from throwing for several weeks, even in a best-case scenario, it's hard to imagine he'll be ready to contribute over the next three months. The Astros would be wise to play it safe with Garcia, the last thing they want to happen is for him to need another surgery.
This also serves as a reminder that pitchers often require more than the typical 12–18 months to recover. Which is why counting on Cristian Javier to contribute this season, feels like a big ask for a player that had Tommy John surgery in June.