Aramis Garcia (elbow) back behind Reds' plate Thursday afternoon

Cincinnati Reds catcher Aramis Garcia (elbow) is in the starting lineup for Game 1 on Thursday afternoon against Roansy Contreras and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

What It Means:

Garcia missed the past two games with an elbow injury. He is replacing Michael Papierski at catcher on Thursday and hitting ninth. Papierski will likely draw the start for the later game. Garcia has hit safely in seven straight games and is 10-for-20 in that stretch.

numberFire’s models project Garcia for 6.9 FanDuel points on Thursday, and he has a $2,100 salary. Per our MLB Heat Map, the Reds’ implied total (4.50) is tied for ninth in the majors on Thursday out of 24 teams.