Kervin

Castro

Castro requires a trip back to the minors to free up a spot on New York’s roster for ace Max Fried to return from the injured list for the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader against Pittsburgh. The 27-year-old has allowed one run over 2 1/3 innings in the big leagues this season.

Castro will provide some bullpen depth for the second game of the doubleheader against the Dodgers, and perhaps a bit longer. The 27-year-old heads up with Jake Bird returning to the minors in exchange.

With Carlos Rodón returning from the injured list on Sunday, the Yankees needed to clear a spot on their active roster and as the last man in the bullpen Castro was an easy target. The 27-year-old hurler allowed one run on two hits while striking out a pair over two innings in his lone appearance with the Yankees. He should get another opportunity with the big league club over the summer.

Castro posted a 3.14 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 14 1/3 innings at Triple-A, but he has just a 10/4 K/BB ratio. He’ll serve as bullpen depth for the Yankees, but could head right back down when Carlos Rodon comes off the injured list.

The Yankees had said all along that regardless of how he performed during the spring, it was likely that the Martian would be starting the year at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and that’s where he’ll head despite slashing .325/.378/.600 with three homers, 10 RBI and three stolen bases in 45 plate appearances during Grapefruit League play. He has all of the skills to be an impact fantasy contributor, but it’ll take an injury for him to get enough playing time with the Bombers to bring that to fruition.

The procedural move prevents Castro from becoming a minor league free agent and protects him from being gobbled up in next month’s Rule 5 Draft. The 26-year-old reliever last appeared in the big leagues back in 2022, but posted a sublime 1.53 ERA across 47 innings over 35 appearances at the Triple-A level this past season. He’ll presumably compete for a spot in the Yankees’ season-opening bullpen next spring.

Castro is on the move after signing a minor league contract last month with the Astros. The 24-year-old righty, who has made 20 career appearances in the big leagues, figures to bolster New York’s organizational relief depth following their recent subtractions on the pitching side of the ledger.

The deal presumably also includes an invitation to spring training. Castro represents an intriguing relief project for the Astros heading into next season as he’s made 20 appearances in the big leagues between the Cubs and Giants since 2021.

All four were on the Triple-A Toledo roster. Castro and Del Pozo both had Tommy John surgery this summer and figure to miss most of 2024.

The latest batch of cuts from Tigers camp trims their spring training roster to just 41 players. There are some pretty notable inclusions here as both Davis and Palacios have spent time in the majors and projects as viable middle infield options. Del Pozo, Castro and Díaz figure to be up for Detroit as extra bullpen depth sometime this year.