The Washington Nationals announced they scratched Luis Garcia Jr. from their starting lineup less than an hour before their series finale in Atlanta.

Is hug watch next?

Garcia leads the National League in slugging percentage at .560 through Aug. 1. The first baseman, who’s a year away from free agency, has been the subject of many trade rumors leading up to the annual MLB trade deadline.

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Teams cannot trade players off their major league roster after 6 p.m. Aug. 3.

Garcia, a left-handed hitter, is enjoying a resurgent season for the surprising Nationals. In 104 games through Aug. 1, he’s slashing .283/.313/.560. His 23 home runs and 76 RBIs are already career highs.

Washington is in the National League Wild Card hunt at 55-57, only 3.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the league’s final playoff berth.

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No one expects the Nationals to tear down their roster, but neither are they expected to be big buyers at the deadline.

Instead, the Nats might be looking to trade Garcia to upgrade a position of weakness.

While their lineup is averaging an MLB-best 5.4 runs per game, the Nationals’ pitching staff has a collective 4.78 ERA, 27th among the 30 teams.

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The bullpen owns a league-worst 27 blown saves. Only three teams have gotten fewer quality starts from their starters. There’s plenty of room to improve the Nationals’ pitching staff, giving president of baseball operations Paul Toboni ample latitude to choose the best offer.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported the New York Yankees have shown interest in Garcia. They recently lost Cody Bellinger, a left-handed hitter with power potential, to a Grade 2 hamstring strain.

While other teams might have greater need for Garcia than the Yankees, they have slipped in the American League East standings in the wake of injuries to Bellinger and Aaron Judge.

Through Aug. 1, they’re 62-49, 3.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.

Between the standings and a farm system that includes four Top-100 prospects, the Yankees might have what it takes to pry Garcia from Washington D.C.

Garcia has spent his entire seven-year career with the Nationals (2020-26), slashing .268/.310/.431.

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