UPDATE:
Source confirms Christian Vazquez headed to Boston today for call-up.
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) April 14, 2016
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The Boston Red Sox demoted outfielder Rusney Castillo to Triple-A Pawtucket Wednesday night shortly after third baseman Pablo Sandoval was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a surprising shoulder injury. Manager John Farrell said that Castillo needs regular playing time, which is why the team made the move.
However, is Castillo yet another sunk cost for the Red Sox?
When Farrell said that Brock Holt would be getting most of the reps in left field, many knew that it was a bad sign for Castillo. The fact that Holt, who is a utility player, won the primary job reveals yet again that Farrell and the Red Sox do not care how much a certain player earns. Right now, the most important thing is winning.
However, the Red Sox will keep tiptoeing around the controversies surrounding Castillo and Sandoval, both of whom were shunned for players making the league minimum.
"We need to get him out and get him going," Farrell said. "We needed to get some at-bats to get him playing every day."
Castillo, 28, signed a seven-year, $72.5 million contract during the 2014 season after defecting from Cuba, and he has yet to prove that he's worth that money. He hit just .253/.288/.359 with 35 runs scored, five home runs and 29 RBI in 80 games last year and hasn't gotten much of an opportunity at the onset of 2016 for a number of reasons.
First off, he had a terrible spring training in which he hit .183 with a .446 OPS in 60 at-bats. He also made a couple of errors in the outfield, which further proved that he was not ready for full-time duties. He also can't hit right-handed pitching, which is why Holt got the nod over him.
On the other hand, Holt's fast start to the regular season really squashed any possibility of Castillo getting playing time. The 27-year-old already has seven runs scored, two home runs and eight RBI in his first 24 at-bats. He's been a catalyst for Boston's offense, and Farrell needs to keep players in the lineup that are producing because his job could be on the line if the Red Sox get off to a bad start.
And now, the Red Sox need some help at catcher because Blake Swihart needs some more polishing on the defensive side of the ball. Sending Castillo down would give him more playing time and open up a roster spot for Christian Vazquez, who is nearing a return to the MLB roster following Tommy John surgery.
The Red Sox have over $135 million on the disabled list and in the minor leagues just between Castillo and Sandoval. Talk about sunk costs.
