Pirates' Rodolfo Castro: In competition for second base job
Rotowire
Castro is in competition to start at second base along with Ji Hwan Bae and Tucupita Marcano, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Castro had an inconsistent season with the Pirates in 2022 -- he spent a large portion of the season in the minors -- but he posted a .788 OPS with 10 home runs across 200 plate appearances in the second half of the campaign. Through four games in spring training, Castro hasn't helped his cause by collecting only one hit and striking out five times in 13 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Rodolfo Castro: Riding pine Wednesday
Rotowire
Castro isn't starting Wednesday against the Reds.
Castro went 0-for-3 with a walk and three strikeouts Tuesday and will head to the bench for the second time in the last three games. Kevin Newman is taking over at the keystone and batting seventh.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Rodolfo Castro: Sitting Monday
Rotowire
Castro isn't in the lineup for Monday's game against the Reds.
Kevin Newman will play second base in the series opener. Castro has excelled in his last 11 games, hitting .273 with three home runs, nine RBI and three walks.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Rodolfo Castro: Racking up hits
Rotowire
Castro went 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored Wednesday against the Yankees.
Castro was the only Pirate to collect multiple hits Wednesday, and it was the third time he's done so in his last seven starts. Since being recalled on Aug. 9, Castro has hit .268 with 10 home runs, 16 runs scored and 20 RBI across 38 games. Though he's striking out at a 28.1 percent clip in that span, Castro is making the case for a role in Pittsburgh to begin the 2023 campaign.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Rodolfo Castro: Three-run shot in loss
Rotowire
Castro went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's 9-8 loss to the Yankees.
Castro took Clay Holmes deep with two runners on base to put Pittsburgh up 8-4 in the eighth inning before Wil Crowe blew the game in the bottom of the ninth. The 23-year-old has reached base safely in all but four games since the beginning of September but is batting just .208 in 72 at-bats during that stretch. On the bright side, he has knocked in 14 batters in those games while hitting in the middle of the Pittsburgh lineup. He could be a good source of RBI in the final weeks of the season.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Rodolfo Castro: Lone bright spot in loss
Rotowire
Castro went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a double in Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Mets.
Castro accounted for three of the Pirates' four hits and their lone run with his ninth-inning solo shot. The 23-year-old infielder has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, going 12-for-42 (.286) with four homers, three doubles, nine RBI and six runs scored in that span. He's been trending in the right direction lately, with the hot stretch putting him at a .244 batting average, .760 OPS, 10 homers, five steals, 21 RBI, 19 runs scored and seven doubles through 56 contests overall.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Rodolfo Castro: Drives in four
Rotowire
Castro went 2-for-5 with a home run, four RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base Wednesday against the Reds.
Castro took Nick Lodolo yard for a three-run home run in the third inning -- his ninth long ball of the season. He also added an RBI single in the ninth frame and chipped in his fifth stolen base. Castro's riding a seven-game hitting streak, during which he's hit .267 with three homers, eight RBI and five runs scored. Since being recalled to Pittsburgh Aug. 9, Castro has a solid .263/.320/.534 line in 118 at-bats.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Rodolfo Castro: Goes yard in loss
Rotowire
Castro went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Cardinals.
Five of Castro's seven homers on the year have come in his last 17 games, including a first-inning solo shot Saturday. In that span, he's hit .242 (15-for-62) with eight RBI, six runs scored, a double, five walks and 25 strikeouts. The infielder is up to a .232/.295/.417 slash line with 13 RBI, 14 runs scored and four stolen bases, and it appears he has the inside lane over Kevin Newman for playing time at second base down the stretch.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Rodolfo Castro: Sitting for afternoon game
Rotowire
Castro is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Brewers.
Though Castro doesn't have a handle on a full-time gig at any position, he managed to stick in the lineup for 15 of the Pirates' previous 16 games while moving between second base and third base, with his only absence during that span coming while he served a suspension. Considering that Castro has slashed .318/.375/.591 with eight extra-base hits and two stolen bases since his promotion from Triple-A Indianapolis earlier this month, he looks poised to stick in a quasi-everyday role while his bat remains hot. He's likely just getting routine maintenance as the Pirates conclude their series in Milwaukee with a day game after a night game
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Rodolfo Castro: Smacks fifth homer
Rotowire
Castro went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Monday against the Brewers.
Castro continues to swing a hot bat, as four of his five home runs this season have come since he was recalled Aug. 9. He's also hit .317, with five RBI, four runs scored and two stolen bases in that span. Though Castro isn't the everyday starter at either second or third base, the Pirates have made room for him in the lineup and that is likely to remain the case so long as he continues to hit.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Rodolfo Castro: Back in action Sunday
Rotowire
Castro will return from a one-game suspension to start at third base and bat fifth in Sunday's game against the Phillies.
The suspension stemmed from Castro being spotted with a cell phone in his uniform during an Aug. 9 contest against the Diamondbacks. The mishap hasn't prevented him from gaining traction as a regular in the Pittsburgh lineup, as he slashed .327/.375/.615 while starting in 15 of the last 16 games before serving his one-game ban. He'll fill in for a resting Kevin Newman in Sunday's series finale.
Castro will serve his one-game suspension Saturday against the Phillies, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Castro was issued a one-game suspension after he had a cell phone in his pocket during an Aug. 9 game against the Diamondbacks, and he didn't have his punishment reduced following an appeal. He'll be unavailable for Saturday's matchup but should rejoin the team for Sunday's series finale in Philadelphia.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Rodolfo Castro: Keeps hitting
Rotowire
Castro went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Friday against the Phillies.
Castro slugged his fourth home run of the season, taking Bailey Falter yard in the fifth inning. Since being recalled Aug. 9, Castro is hitting .309 with three homers, four RBI, four runs scored and two stolen bases across 16 games. He got regular run at third base with Ke'Bryan Hayes sidelined, though the Pirates have shuffled their lineup since to ensure that Castro continues to get consistent at-bats. That should continue so long as Castro hits well.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Rodolfo Castro: Swipes fourth bag
Rotowire
Castro went 1-for-3 with one steal in Monday's 2-1 loss against Atlanta.
The 23-year-old added to what has quietly been a strong stretch since being recalled on Aug. 8. His stolen base was his fourth on the season, and his base hit extends his hitting streak to four games. He is now batting .326 since being called up and is looking like he could be a sneaky middle infield option in deeper leagues while he still has the hot hand.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Rodolfo Castro: Hitting well since return
Rotowire
Castro went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI on Sunday against the Reds.
Castro delivered an RBI double in the first inning, and he now has consecutive performances with multiple hits and an RBI. Since being recalled on Aug. 9, Castro is hitting .326 with two homers, three RBI and three runs scored across 43 at-bats. Most notably, he's striking out at only a 17.4 percent clip in that span. Ke'Bryan Hayes' (back) impending return will take away Castro's path to playing time at third base, but Castro is also capable of playing both second base and shortstop.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Rodolfo Castro: Path to playing time cleared
Rotowire
Castro went 0-for-3 with a walk Tuesday against the Red Sox.
Castro has taken advantage of Ke'Bryan Hayes' (back) absence and appeared in the lineup for six of eight games since being promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis. Hayes will now be sidelined until at least Aug. 24 after being placed on the injured list Tuesday, which should lock Castro in as the primary third baseman in Pittsburgh for the time being. Since returning to the majors, Castro has collected eight hits in 24 at-bats with a home run, one RBI and two runs scored.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Rodolfo Castro: Gets one-game ban, will appeal
Rotowire
Major League Baseball issued Castro a one-game suspension Tuesday after he violated league policy by having a cell phone in his pocket during an Aug. 9 game against the Diamondbacks, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. He plans to appeal the suspension and will be eligible to play until his appeal is heard, according to Justice delos Santos of MLB.com.
Castro was also fined for the incident, which occurred the same day he was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis. The 25-year-old wasn't believed to have been using his phone for any sort of competitive advantage, so he's likely hopeful that an independent party will look more favorably on his situation. Even if the one-game ban is eventually upheld, Castro shouldn't lose too much momentum from what's been an encouraging start since he returned from the minors. Over his six games in August with the Bucs, Castro has gone 8-for-21 with four extra-base hits.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Rodolfo Castro: Posts homer and triple
Rotowire
Castro went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a triple in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Giants.
Castro has gone 4-for-12 with a homer and a pair of triples in four games since he was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis. He started the first two contests after his recall at second base, and he picked up a spot start at the hot corner Friday. For the season, the infielder is slashing .217/.286/.386 with a pair of homers, five RBI, eight runs scored, two stolen bases and three triples through 91 plate appearances. If the switch hitter can stay productive with the bat, he should carve out a fairly steady role despite not having a set position.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Rodolfo Castro: First hit since return
Rotowire
Castro went 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.
Castro was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday and has started both games at second base since. On Wednesday, he tallied a two-out triple in the sixth inning and ultimately came around to score on a double by Greg Allen. Castro has hit only .205/.279/.321 across 86 plate appearances in the majors this season, though it seems as if the Pirates are interested in finding him consistent playing time across the final two months.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Rodolfo Castro: Rejoins big-league club
Rotowire
Castro was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis and will start at second base Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.
The 23-year-old spent most of May in the majors and posted a .565 OPS in 78 plate appearances before being demoted in early June, and he'll return to the big club ahead of Tuesday's contest in Arizona. Castro should fill a utility role while up with the Pirates. Cal Mitchell was optioned to Indianapolis in a corresponding move.
