Willi

Castro

Castro had missed each of the team’s previous three games due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot. With nothing left to play for this season, the Rockies will sit him down and make sure that he gets right. Vimael Machin was promoted from Triple-A Albuquerque to take his place on the Rockies’ active roster.

Castro had started all but three games since the All-Star break until Tuesday. Now he’s absent for three in a row. It’s not a bad idea for the Rockies to go to their younger players, but it is surprising to see Castro completely erased from the mix like this. He’s hitting .259/.331/.496 with eight homers in the second half.

The versatile 29-year-old snapped a scoreless tie as he plated Hunter Goodman with a two-out RBI single off of Martin Perez in the sixth inning. Unfortunately for the Rockies, that would be the extent of their offense in the ballgame. He also drew a walk in the contest. For the season, Castro is now slashing .263/.335/.422 with 15 homers, 56 RBI and 10 stolen bases (in 16 attempts) over 469 plate appearances on the year.

Castro was one of the few bright spots for Colorado in this one as he kicked off the scoring with a solo homer off emerging Nationals ace Cade Cavalli in the fourth inning. It was his 15th big fly of the season and lone hit in four at-bats.

Castro had an excellent day at the plate, starting with a stolen base in the first inning after reaching on a fielder’s choice. He then drew a walk and scored in the third, followed by a solo homer off Eric Lauer in the fifth. Castro later walked and scored again in the eighth before driving in a run with a single in the ninth. The 29-year-old infielder is hitting a solid .265/.336/.426 with 14 homers, 60 runs scored, 52 RBI, and nine steals across 429 plate appearances.

It’ll be Willi Castro taking another turn at the hot corner with Karros grabbing a seat for the second consecutive contest after being scratched from Tuesday’s lineup with left biceps inflammation. The fact that he hasn’t required a trip to the injured list is an encouraging sign. He’s presumably day-to-day heading into Friday’s series opener against the Royals.

Karros is day-to-day for now. It’ll be veteran utility specialist Willi Castro taking over at the hot corner in his absence. There should be an update on his status after the contest, but it doesn’t sound like a significant concern at the moment.

Castro didn’t miss a grand slam by much on a 415-foot shot to right center. He also walked in the contest. He has two homers and six RBI four games into the Rockies’ current homestand.

It has been a brutal season offensively for the 24-year-old shortstop, hitting a paltry .199/.244/.327 with just eight homers, 32 RBI and five stolen bases in 348 plate appearances. Willi Castro will start in his place at shortstop and bat fifth against Reds’ right-hander Hunter Greene.

Castro did his damage in the seventh inning of this one, launching a 2-0 slider from Brady Singer for a 382-foot (99.2-mph EV) solo shot that pulled the Rockies to within three runs at 5-2. For the season, the versatile 29-year-old is now slashing .264/.333/.390 with eight long balls, 38 RBI and six stolen bases across 323 plate appearances.