The Washington Nationals are protecting one of their trade assets ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
First baseman Luis Garcia Jr. was removed from Sunday's lineup after the team initially listed him to play against the Atlanta Braves.
Garcia did get pulled from Friday's game with a sore knee but returned on Saturday.
The 26-year-old is hitting .283/.313/.560 with 23 home runs and 76 RBI in 104 games.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that Garcia is a potential trade target for the New York Yankees, who have been looking to improve their offence.
Garcia has one year of team control remaining after this season.



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