The Phillies infielder on voluntary assignment to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, is gone for the season. According to Matt Gelb of the Athletic (via X), Castro tore a ligament in his right thumb and will miss the remainder of the season.
It’s a little setback for Philadelphia’s infield depth. Castro is on the Phillies’ 40-man roster, although he hasn’t played this season. The 25-year-old has spent the majority of the season on the minor league injured list. He has struggled to hit in 23 minor league games and had little effect in 14 MLB appearances for the Phillies last season.
Castro, a switch-hitter with some defensive versatility, appeared in 180 games over parts of three seasons with the Pirates. At the 2023 deadline, Philadelphia acquired him in a one-for-one trade with left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter. Falter has been a decent back-end starter for the Bucs this season, with a 4.02 ERA in 21 starts. Even though he wouldn’t have had a chance to make the rotation in Philadelphia, the deal worked out well for the Pirates.
If the Phillies need to make room on the 40-man roster, they could recall Castro and place him on the major league 60-day injured list. It’s also feasible that they merely released him to free up a 40-man roster spot. Castro’s minor league option year is up, meaning the Phillies must either keep him on the MLB roster or place him on waivers for next season. Even if Philadelphia maintains him for the rest of the season, he is not certain to be on the roster throughout the offseason.
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