RODOLFO CASTRO NEWS

Back in Philadelphia on MiLB deal The Phillies re-signed Castro to a minor-league contract Wednesday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Impact Castro was outrighted off the Phillies' 40-man roster earlier this month but has returned on a minors back. The infielder missed the bulk of the 2024 season with shoulder and thumb injuries. The 25-year-old sports a career .219/.292/.380 batting line over parts of three major-league seasons.

1 DAY AGO • ROTOWIRE

Sent outright to Triple-A The Phillies outrighted Castro (thumb) to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Impact Castro missed much of the 2024 season due to injury, included a torn thumb ligament which ended his campaign. He slashed just .211/.282/.310 with Lehigh Valley this season.

NOVEMBER 4 • ROTOWIRE

Bumped to 60-day IL Castro (thumb) was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday and placed on the 60-day injured list, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Impact Castro has already been ruled out for the season, but the shift to the 60-day injured list opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for Jose Cuas. Castro didn't appear in a game for the Phillies in 2024.

SEPTEMBER 7 • ROTOWIRE

Out for season Castro was diagnosed with a torn ligament in his right thumb on Thursday and will miss the remainder of the season, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Impact Castro has spent the entire season in the minors, although injuries limited him to playing just 20 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, during which he slashed .211/.282/.310 with seven RBI across 78 plate appearances. It's unclear if he will be ready to go for the start of spring training in 2025.

AUGUST 22 • ROTOWIRE

Returns from IL Castro (shoulder) has slashed .245/.327/.327 with one home run in 13 games since being reinstated from Triple-A Lehigh Valley's 60-day injured list July 23.

Impact Castro had been on the shelf since April 3 due to the left shoulder injury before he was cleared to rejoin Lehigh Valley after completing a three-game rehab assignment shortly after the All-Star break. The 25-year-old infielder retains a spot on the Phillies' 40-man roster, but he hasn't appeared in the majors all season, and a promotion to Philadelphia wouldn't seem to be imminent.

AUGUST 11 • ROTOWIRE

Rehabbing from shoulder injury Castro (shoulder) began a rehab assignment Thursday gone 1-for-6 with a run scored and an RBI between two games in the rookie-level Florida Complex League and Single-A Clearwater.

Impact After failing to win a spot on the Phillies' Opening Day roster, Castro was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley coming out of spring training. He appeared in just two games for Lehigh Valley before being placed on the 7-day injured list April 3 with left shoulder subscapular bursitis, per Tom Housenick of The Allentown Morning Call. Lehigh Valley later transferred Castro to its 60-day injured list, but since he's already missed more than two months with the injury, he'll be eligible for activation once he completes his rehab assignment.

JULY 20 • ROTOWIRE

Two at-bats, one hit Castro went 1-for-2 in Philadelphia's 3-2 loss to Baltimore on Tuesday.

Impact Castro has tallied 16 plate appearances in eight spring training games to date as it's clear the team wants to give the infielder every opportunity to make the Opening Day roster. Despite accumulating considerable experience over three seasons in the majors, Castro's stats paint a picture of limited offensive contribution and a high strikeout rate. In 2022, the shortstop played all but five games with 278 plate appearances and a .285 OBP, but that upside has all but vanished after a downturn in Pittsburgh and a dreadful showing following a midseason trade to Philadelphia. If Castro makes the roster, he figures to be positioned as the team's rotational utility infielder.

MARCH 6 • ROTOWIRE

Optioned to rookie ball The Phillies optioned Castro to the Florida Complex League on Saturday.

Impact Since joining the Phillies at the trade deadline, Castro has slashed just .100/.156/.100 across 32 plate appearances over 14 games. His poor performance will cost him his spot on Philadelphia's bench, and the team will bring up Weston Wilson from Triple-A to replace Castro.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Joins Philadelphia The Phillies activated Castro ahead of Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

Impact After he was acquired from the Pirates on Tuesday, Castro will end up taking the 40-man roster spot and 26-man active roster spot of Josh Harrison, who has been released by Philadelphia. Like Harrison before him, Castro projects to fill a utility infield role, though he'll bring more upside to the table than his veteran predecessor. The 24-year-old switch hitter wasn't able to stick as a full-time player in Pittsburgh, but he's still produced a 92 wRC+ over 595 plate appearances in the majors, a respectable mark for a player of his age.

AUGUST 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Phillies send LHP Bailey Falter to Pirates for SS Rodolfo Castro The Philadelphia Phillies traded left-hander Bailey Falter to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday in exchange for shortstop Rodolfo Castro.

AUGUST 2, 2023 • KANSASCITY.COM

MLB trade grades: Phillies, Pirates swap Bailey Falter for Rodolfo Castro Falter will help cover innings for the Pirates with Rich Hill gone, while Castro will give the Phillies infield depth.

AUGUST 1, 2023 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Traded to Phillies Castro was traded from the Pirates to the Phillies on Monday in exchange for Bailey Falter, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Impact Best known for crushing left-handed pitching (career .277/.341/.559 slash line in 223 plate appearances), Castro had been at Triple-A for the past couple weeks after hitting .228/.317/.355 overall this season, contributing to a -0.3 fWAR. Castro provides the Phillies with some infield versatility, as he can play second base, third base and shortstop.

AUGUST 1, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Pirates activate Andrew McCutchen from 10-day IL, option Rodolfo Castro to Indianapolis Andrew McCutchen is back with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rodolfo Castro is headed to the minors. The Pirates made a pair of roster moves before...

JULY 16, 2023 • TRIBLIVE.COM

Sent down to Triple-A The Pirates optioned Castro to Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday.

Impact Castro's performance slipped in June and his playing time dried up, so he will head to the minors for the first time this season and attempt to get back on track with regular at-bats. The 24-year-old has a .228/.317/.355 line in 224 plate appearances with the big club this year, a step back from 2022. Andrew McCutchen (elbow) took Castro's spot on the active roster.

JULY 16, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting in fourth straight Castro is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

Impact Castro is on the bench for a fourth straight game, and he doesn't look as though he'll be a major beneficiary of Ji Hwan Bae's (ankle) move to the injured list Sunday. Though Castro has the ability to play three infield spots, the Pirates appear to have at least temporarily settled on Nick Gonzales, Tucupita Marcano and Jared Triolo as their primary options at second base, shortstop and third base, respectivey.

JULY 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Getting time at third base Castro went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored Tuesday against the Padres.

Impact Castro has fallen into a bench role in recent weeks, though he's now started consecutive games at third base. The Pirates haven't announced an injury to Ke'Bryan Hayes, so it's unlikely that Castro maintains a consistent role. Even when given an opportunity, he's gone through significant struggles and maintained just a .185 average with four RBI and two runs scored across his last 54 at-bats.

JUNE 28, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting again Sunday Castro is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.

Impact Castro will take a seat for a third straight game and seems to have moved into the short side of a platoon with Ji Hwan Bae. With Castro on the bench, Bae will start at second base and bat seventh Sunday.

JUNE 11, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Riding pine Saturday Castro is out of Saturday's lineup against the Mets, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Impact The Pirates are facing three righties this weekend against the Mets, and so far Castro has started on the bench in the first two games of the series. He had started nine of 10 games prior to this weekend, with four of those starts coming against righties, but lately Ji Hwan Bae has handled the keystone against righties.

JUNE 10, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting against righty Castro is not in the lineup Friday against the Mets.

Impact Ji Hwan Bae is starting at second base and batting seventh versus the Mets and right-hander Tylor Megill. The switch-hitting Castro has slashed just .193/.287/.217 in 94 plate appearances this season versus righties. He boasts a .364/.449/.712 slash line in 78 plate appearances versus lefties.

JUNE 9, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Homers, drives in three Wednesday Castro went 2-for-4 with a double, a homer and three RBI in Wednesday's 9-5 loss against the Athletics.

Impact Castro got Pittsburgh on the board with a solo shot off Hogan Harris in the second inning before driving in two more runs with a double in the fourth. Castro's been swinging a hot bat, going 10-for-27 (.370) over his last eight games. The 24-year-old Castro has earned a regular role between shortstop and second base in Pittsburgh. He's slashing a solid .268/.360/.436 with six homers, 21 RBI and 17 runs scored through 172 plate appearances this season.

JUNE 7, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Playing time trending up Castro will start at second base and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Impact Castro appeared to benefit from a spike in playing time last week while Carlos Santana was day-to-day with a spinal injury, but Castro nows finds himself in the lineup for the second time in three games alongside Santana. With two-hit efforts in three of his last four starts, Castro may have pushed himself back into a near-everyday role in the infield for the time being. Meanwhile, Ji Hwan Bae has made three of his last four starts in center field to create an opening for Castro at the keystone.

JUNE 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Garners fourth straight start Castro will start at second base and bat cleanup in Wednesday's game against the Giants, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Impact Castro will be rewarded with a fourth consecutive start after he went 2-for-3 with a run scored in Tuesday's 2-1 win. However, if Carlos Santana (spine) is back in action for the team's next game Friday in St. Louis, the Pirates may not have room in the lineup for both Castro and Connor Joe, who has also noticed an uptick in playing time while Santana has been day-to-day.

MAY 31, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Homers in win Castro went 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 8-0 victory over the Tigers.

Impact Castro swatted his fifth home run of the season in the fourth inning off Eduardo Rodriguez before adding a second RBI on a base hit in the seventh. Castro, making his first start since May 8, snapped a 1-for-13 stretch with his two-hit effort Wednesday. He's now slashing .260/.366/.452 with 13 runs scored and 16 RBI through 123 plate appearances this season.

MAY 18, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Out of lineup again Friday Castro is not in the lineup Friday versus the Orioles, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Impact Castro hasn't started a game for the Pirates since Monday's series opener against the Rockies and seems to have fallen into more of a utility role after a multi-week run as the team's primary shortstop. Tucupita Marcano is playing short and batting seventh Friday in Baltimore.

MAY 12, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Sitting again Wednesday Castro is out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.

Impact Castro will begin Wednesday's contest on the bench for the second consecutive game. Chris Owings is playing shortstop and hitting eighth in Castro's absence.

MAY 10, 2023 • ROTOWIRE