PHOENIX – Texas Rangers All-Star right fielder Adolis García exited Game 3 of the World Series against the Diamondbacks on Monday due to left side tightness. He grabbed his side after a swing in the top of the eighth inning and Travis Jankowski took over for him in right field for the bottom of the inning. García underwent an MRI post-game, and was diagnosed with a moderate strain of the oblique. He’s not in the starting lineup for Tuesday’s Game 4 — rather, his spot will be occupied again by Jankowski.

There has not yet been a decision made on whether or not García will remain on the active roster for the rest of the series, according to what Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said prior to Game 4. 

Oblique strains tend to require weeks to heal. Baseball Prospectus’ recovery database estimates that the average timetable to return is 38 days. Obviously the Rangers and García do not have the luxury of that kind of time. This is the World Series, so perhaps he’ll attempt to gut through it. The odds are, though, that doing so would leave him in a compromised state.

Here’s a look at the swing where García appeared to aggravate his left side:

García missing the rest of the series would be a tough blow for the Rangers. He’s been their cleanup hitter — shifted to third for Game 3 — and has already set the record for most RBI in a single postseason. In 15 playoff games, he had hit .323/.382/.726 with eight home runs (including a walk-off blast in Game 1) and 22 RBI.

If García is removed from the roster, he’s ineligible to return later in the series, thereby ending his season. The Rangers would be able to activate someone else in his place, however, preventing them from playing shorthanded the rest of the way.