The Boston Red Sox placed outfielder Shane Victorino on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday with a right hamstring strain and it appears Allen Craig, Daniel Nava and Brock Holt will platoon in right field for the time being. But what about Rusney Castillo?
Boston signed Castillo to a seven-year, $72.5 million deal last August, but the Cuban defector started off the 2015 season in the minor leagues because he missed time during spring training due to an oblique injury. The emergence of prospect Mookie Betts also didn't help Castillo's case.
On top of that, the 27-year-old was placed on the minor league disabled list in mid-April with shoulder inflammation, but could return to the lineup this Wednesday. Castillo is batting .417/.462/.500 with two runs scored, two RBIs and a stolen base in three games with Triple-A Pawtucket and showed last September he's capable of contributing to the Red Sox' MLB lineup.
"If Victorino is out for an extended time, the Sox have Jackie Bradley Jr. available at Pawtucket and Rusney Castillo is expected to come off the minor league disabled list this week," writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
In the meantime the club called up starter Matt Barnes to be used as a reliever in multiple-inning stints because their rotation has had much difficulty going deep into games. Boston will likely keep that as their roster move for the time being, but Castillo's promotion could be a priority at a later date, especially if Victorino is on the DL beyond 15 days or if he continues to struggle at the plate when he returns (he's batting .143/.302/.171 with two RBIs and two stolen bases in 12 games).
"All Castillo has done since coming to the United States from Cuba is mash, so if he picks up where he left off, the questions about when he'll be in the majors again are going to come more often, and much louder," writes Marc Normandin of SB Nation. "You can assume that'll be even more the case if starting right fielder Shane Victorino still isn't hitting by the time Castillo is ready to go."
General manager Ben Cherington made it clear Castillo starting the year in the minors was so the outfielder could get consistent reps rather than receive limited time on the 25-man roster. It's important the Red Sox groom him properly because they signed him to an expensive long-term deal.
While Jackie Bradley also remains an option, he's going to need to show considerable offensive progression while in Triple-A to stand a chance. In 164 games with the Red Sox, the 25-year-old batted just .196 and struck out 152 times despite being one of the best defenders in baseball. Right now he's slashing .290/.364/.377 in 17 games with Pawtucket, but he's also shown similar success before being promoted to the major leagues.
Based on the context clues, it's clear Castillo's promotion could come soon if Victorino is out longer than expected or returns and fails to produce offensively. Boston has also been trying to give Allen Craig a chance, but he's batting just .129/.206/.129 in 34 plate appearances this year and made a terrible play in the outfield on Saturday night that cost the Red Sox the game.
Don't be surprised if Castillo is starting in right field within the next few weeks.
