Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro has been diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain, which carries an expected recovery timetable of at least our weeks. In other words: His season is over.
After a hugely disappointing 2013 season Castro bounced back to hit .292 with a career-high 14 homers and a career-best .777 OPS in 134 games. He was also on pace to shatter his previous best walk total, which is a key development for an impatient 24-year-old hitter.
Castro’s absence likely means rookie Javier Baez will see plenty of action at shortstop down the stretch after initially being called up to play second base. Baez was exclusively a shortstop in the minors until recently, when the Cubs began prepping him for a promotion.
