CLEARWATER, Fla. – The batting cage has been Adolis Garcia’s home away from home this spring.

Garcia has been working hard with Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long on some minor swing adjustments and also on becoming a more selective hitter.

The surface numbers have not been good. Entering Tuesday, Garcia had just five hits, four singles and a double, in 26 at-bats over 11 games.

But some of the underlying numbers had been encouraging. Last season with the Texas Rangers, Garcia had a chase rate of 36 percent. Entering Tuesday, it stood at 22 percent in Grapefruit League play. He had walked six times and struck out just once.

So, Garcia seemed to be trending toward a day like this. He had four hits and drove in both runs in the Phillies’ 2-0 win over the Minnesota Twins at BayCare Ballpark on a chilly St. Paddy’s Day.

Garcia smacked a solo home run through the wind to left in the fourth inning. He added three singles, including one that scored a run. Most encouraging was the authority with which he hit the ball to all fields. All of his hits came off the bat at above 100 mph. His two singles late in the game came off the bat at 110 mph and 112 mph, respectively.

Garcia, 33, hit 39 homers, drove in 107 runs and had a .836 OPS for the Texas Rangers in 2023. He then hit eight home runs in the postseason to help the Rangers win their first-ever World Series title. In 2024 and 2025, however, Garcia struggled. He hit just .225 with a .675 OPS those two seasons with high chase rates. The Rangers did not tender him a contract this offseason. The Phillies, desperate for some right-handed pop and on a tight budget, took a flier on him with a one-year, $10 million contract.

Working with Long, Garcia hopes to rebound this season. It all starts with bringing down the chase rate.

“The mentality is to have good at-bats and swing at strikes,” he said after Tuesday’s game. “There’s no good swing with a bad pitch. First and foremost, we are working on going after good pitches.”

Garcia was asked if he’s hearing anything different from Phillies hitting coaches than he heard in Texas.

“I don’t like to compare in that way,” he said. “All I can say is the coaches here have done a great job with me and they’re focused and working really hard with me to have my ‘A’ swing back and to have better results. They’ve been helping me a lot and I’m thankful for that.”

Garcia has made an adjustment in his setup at the plate. His hands aren’t quite as wrapped as they’ve been in the past — his hand positioning is similar to Kyle Schwarber’s — and the bat head isn’t tilted toward the pitcher as much. The goal is to free him up and get him to the ball quicker.

It all looked good Tuesday.

Garcia came into the day hitting .192 and finished hitting .300.

A week from Thursday, he will start in right field for the Phillies on Opening Day against his old team, the Rangers.

“I’m excited,” Garcia said. “We’re a competitive team. I’m excited to fight for a playoff spot from Day 1.”

LUZARDO SHINES

Jesus Luzardo pitched five shutout innings against the Twins. He walked one and struck out five on his way to 77 pitches.

Luzardo has switched from a circle grip to a split grip on his changeup and he likes the results. He threw 25 changeups (average velocity 85 mph) and got five swings and misses on the pitch. He offset the changeup with 23 four-seam fastballs that averaged 95.7 mph.

KERKERING PITCHES

Orion Kerkering, slowed early in camp by a hamstring strain, threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in a minor-league game. It was his first game action of the spring. He remains in play to make the opening day roster, depending on how he pitches in his remaining two outings of the spring. We examined the roster here.

MR. VERSATILITY

Garrett Stubbs continues to work on his versatility. He went through a lengthy workout at third base with infield coach Bobby Dickerson and instructor Larry Bowa on Tuesday morning. On Sunday, Stubbs played a couple of innings in left field against the Braves.

Manager Rob Thomson has prioritized defensive versatility for the final spot on his bench. Dylan Moore, who plays all over the diamond, would fit the role, but Stubbs is getting a look. He could play third base in a game as soon as Wednesday.

Stubbs is a catcher by trade but played some left field with Houston earlier in his career. He recently saw some action at third base for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic.

Stubbs is also competing with Rafael Marchan for the backup catcher’s job. Marchan had the job last season and appears to have the edge again this season. Neither player has a minor-league option, meaning they’d have to clear waivers to go to Triple A, and that’s no sure thing.

UP NEXT

The Phillies are on the road Wednesday for a game against the Atlanta Braves. Andrew Painter will start.

Thomson said he will name his opening day starter after the game. It would be a shock if it’s not Cristopher Sanchez.