DIEGO CASTILLO NEWS

Makes it to camp Castillo arrived at camp Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Impact Castillo was one of a handful of players around the league who experienced delays getting back into the country. He then had to sit for a few more days due to intake procedures, but he should have plenty of time to catch up to his teammates by Opening Day.

FEBRUARY 21, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Arrival slightly delayed Castillo was delayed getting into the country but has since arrived and will join the Rays for their first full-squad workout Tuesday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network report...

Impact Expect the pandemic to cause a few similar delays around the league, but there's plenty of time for the situations to resolve before Opening Day. Castillo will miss a few days of workouts while going through his mandatory quarantine period, but he shouldn't be at any risk of missing time to start the regular season.

FEBRUARY 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Castillo living his dream after tough journey Diego Castillo ran onto the field in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the World Series, knowing he was close to achieving one of his lifelong d...

OCTOBER 22, 2020 • MLB.COM

Earn second save of ALCS Castillo fired one scoreless inning Tuesday as he earned the save in Game 3 of the ALCS against the Astros. He allowed no hits and two walks while striking out two.

Impact After striking out Josh Reddick to begin the ninth inning, Castillo got into some trouble as he issued two consecutive walks with one out. However, he was able to close the door by striking out Jose Altuve before forcing a flyout to end the game. Both Castillo and Pete Fairbanks now have two saves during this postseason.

OCTOBER 14, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Slams door in Game 1 Castillo earned the save Sunday in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Astros. He allowed one hit while striking out one batter over 1.2 scoreless innings.

Impact Castillo entered the game in the eighth with the bases loaded and managed to escape the jam with a single pitch -- he got Yuli Gurriel to ground into an inning-ending double play. He then worked around a single in the ninth to earn his first save of the postseason. Peter Fairbanks has notched two saves during these playoffs while Nick Anderson has worked as part of the bridge to the ninth.

OCTOBER 12, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Castillo saves Game 1 -- and maybe Game 2 Diego Castillo trotted in from the bullpen midway through the eighth inning, past the bases loaded with Astros, and needed just one single p...

OCTOBER 12, 2020 • MLB.COM

Nabs fourth hold Castillo was credited with his fourth hold in a win over the Mets on Monday, firing 1.1 perfect innings during which he recorded a strikeout.

Impact The fact Castillo needed just 11 pitches to record four outs underscores his level of efficiency Monday, with his clean outing pulling his ERA down to an elite 1.74. The burly right-hander has been one of manager Kevin Cash's most trusted relief assets all season, allowing just four runs across 21 appearances and also going 4-for-5 in save situations in addition to his setup work.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Collects win after blowing save Castillo (3-0) blew the save but picked up the win in the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Orioles, giving up one hit and walking three batters over 1.2 scoreless...

Impact Brought into a 1-0 game in the sixth inning and a runner on second, Castillo was tagged for an RBI single by Ryan Mountcastle, but the Rays rallied back in the top of the seventh to make the right-hander the winner. It was the first time since Aug. 7 that Castillo issued multiple free passes in an outing, and his 1.86 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 21:11 K:BB through 19.1 innings should keep him in the high-leverage mix for Tampa over the final days of the season.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Notches fourth save Castillo gave up a hit and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his fourth save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Red Sox.

Impact The veteran right-hander continues to be an integral part of the Rays' high-leverage bullpen crew. Castillo has been scored upon only once in his last seven appearances, a stretch during which he has all four of his saves, and on the year he boasts a 2.04 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 20:8 K:BB through 17.2 innings.

SEPTEMBER 13, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Pitches in eighth inning Castillo pitched a perfect eighth inning with one strikeout against the Marlins on Friday to earn his third hold of the season.

Impact The Rays were ahead 5-4 when starter Josh Fleming exited the game, and manager Kevin Cash went with Ryan Thompson, Peter Fairbanks, Castillo and Nick Anderson (in that order) to close things out. It was Anderson's first appearance back from the injured list and fourth save of the season. Castillo has been great with a 2.30 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and three saves in 17 appearances, but if this one game is any indication, he's going to play second fiddle with Anderson back.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Grabs third save Castillo gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Monday to record his third save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Yankees.

Impact All three of his saves have come in his last three appearances, as Castillo makes a strong push to keep the closer job even after the rest of the Rays' high-leverage crew gets healthy. On the season, he has a 1.98 ERA and 16:7 K:BB through 13.2 innings.

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Notches another save Castillo allowed a hit and a walk while striking out a batter in a scoreless ninth inning to earn his second save of 2020.

Impact Castillo retired the first two batters he faced and then proceeded to make things interesting after allowing a double to Garrett Cooper and walking Jonathan Villar before getting Jorge Alfaro to ground out to end the game. Castillo has picked up two saves in a span of three days as it appears he has slotted into the Rays closer role for now.

AUGUST 29, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Earns first save Castillo struck out two and did not allow a baserunner to earn the save Wednesday against the Orioles.

Impact Castillo was called upon to protect a one-run lead and needed only 12 pitches to secure his first save of the campaign. He has been excellent to this point in the season, maintaining a 2.31 ERA with 14 strikeouts across 11.2 innings. While he has regularly pitched in high-leverage roles, this was Castillo's first save chance of the season, which he likely earned due to the absences of Nick Anderson (forearm), Oliver Drake (biceps), Chaz Roe (elbow) and Jose Alvarado (shoulder). With at least a few of those injuries expected to be only short-term, the Rays will likely continue to mix and match the closer role for the remainder of the season.

AUGUST 27, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Nabs second win Castillo (2-0) was credited with the victory in a win over the Yankees on Thursday despite allowing an earned run on one hit over two-thirds of an inning. He also recorded one stri...

Impact The right-hander had a brief but interesting stint on the mound after coming on in the fifth, as he allowed a two-run home run to Gio Urshela that gave the Yankees a temporary 4-3 lead. Manuel Margot, Joey Wendle and Mike Zunino then bailed out Castillo by authoring a five-run sixth inning for the Rays, setting the reliever up for his second win of the season. Castillo had yet to allow a run this season before Urshela's round tripper, and he still boasts a 1.08 ERA and 0.96 WHIP across 10 appearances.

AUGUST 21, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Unblemished ERA on season Castillo, who fired a clean eighth inning during which he recorded two strikeouts in a win over the Red Sox on Tuesday, has yet to be scored on over seven appearances this season.

Impact The right-handed reliever has also allowed just a single hit while forging an 8:3 K:BB across 5.2 innings, underscoring how effective he's been. Castillo has one victory and no holds or save chances, so while he hasn't been an elite fantasy asset by any stretch, his real-world value to the Rays bullpen is unquestioned.

AUGUST 12, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Back for Opening Day roster Robertson was recalled from the Rays' alternate training site Friday, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Impact The 26-year-old failed to make Tampa Bay's initial 30-man roster, but he'll end up making the team with Diego Castillo going on the paternity list. Robertson should operate as a reserve utility infielder.

JULY 24, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Takes paternity leave Castillo was placed on the paternity list by the Rays on Friday, Steve Carney of Sports Radio 620 WDAE reports.

Impact The 26-year-old will end up missing Opening Day in order to be with his family for the birth of his child. The paternity list usually carries a three-day maximum absence, but Castillo could be gone a bit longer due to the protocols for COVID-19. Nick Anderson and Jose Alvarado remain in the mix for closer's duties for the Rays.

JULY 24, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Notes: Cash's 'pen dreams; testing fan noise While the Rays held a light workout inside Tropicana Field on Wednesday, manager Kevin Cash spent most of the morning at an undisclosed loca...

JULY 15, 2020 • MLB.COM

Absence not COVID-related Castillo's absence from the Rays' camp workout last week was not COVID-related, but rather a family issue that he had to go home to attend to, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Impact The team is confident that Castillo will be ready for Opening Day. "Diego has been with us the entire six weeks leading up and throwing bullpens," manager Kevin Cash said. "I think he even had a live [BP] one time, so he'll be totally fine. But we say that barring [any] setbacks. With most of our one-inning relievers, we don't see much of an issue, with two weeks to go, to build them up."

JULY 14, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Notes: Castillo returns; Morton, Snell put in work After not being spotted at workouts since Tuesday, Diego Castillo was back at Tropicana Field on Monday sporting a mask and getting a warm s...

JULY 13, 2020 • MLB.COM

Missing from recent workouts Castillo has not been present at Rays summer camp for the last four days, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Impact The reliever was present for the early days of camp, even impressing in a live batting practice session Monday. However, Toribio's report implies Castillo's most recent workout was Tuesday, and because teams are prohibited from officially disclosing which players aren't in attendance for workouts, the reason for Castillo's absence remains unknown.

JULY 12, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Dazzles in live BP Castillo was impressive in a live batting practice at Monday's summer camp workouts, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Impact The 26-year-old had already been working out at Tropicana Field prior to the start of summer camp, so his effective performance Monday wasn't necessarily surprising. Castillo faced Willy Adames and Kevin Kiermaier in the session, and manager Kevin Cash noted the right-hander looked "really, really crisp" while also remarking Adames was left wide-eyed in admiration at the reliever's stuff.

JULY 7, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Completes long-toss session Anderson was able to get long-toss work in at Tropicana Field on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Impact Anderson was joined by bullpen mates such as Jose Alvarado and Diego Castillo at the Trop for some informal, small-group workouts. The hard-throwing right-hander had high expectations for the 2020 season in spring training; however, with what appears to be a modest 60-game campaign realistically on the horizon as of late Monday night, Anderson may share closing duties frequently with Alvarado and perhaps even Castillo depending on how manager Kevin Cash opts to manage his relievers under the unique circumstances.

JUNE 23, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Chapman gets to Castillo again, A's beat Rays 4-2

Matt Chapman homered in the third and doubled in the go-ahead run in the seventh, and the Oakland Athletics held on to beat the Tampa Bay Ra...

JUNE 23, 2019