BRONX, NY— The New York Yankees claimed infielder, outfielder, Diego Castillo off waivers from the New York Mets. Yankees continue to add depth to the INF/OF with Castillo, who was a former Yankee that signed as an international free agent. He is 26yrs old, 5'10", 185 lbs and Venezuelean native. He originally signed with the Yankees as an international free agent on July 2, 2014 and played most of his career with the Yankees.
Transactions
He was then acquired by the Pirates along with INF Hoy Park in exchange for RHP Clay Holmes in 2021. Castillo was then traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for RHP Scott Randall in 2022 and was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks in 2023. He would be claimed off waivers by the Mets in the beginning of this year and DFA'd days later.
New York Yankees
Pittsburgh Pirates
Castillo's best game came in 2022 against the Minnesota Twins, where he hit two home runs and had an exceptional defensive performance. He is typically not a home run hitter, after the game he was asked where did the home runs come from, he responded that he is enjoying the game right now and believing in himself.
D.C. stands for Diego Castillo!!! pic.twitter.com/tWCxcRKzzJ
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 29, 2022
Arizona Diamondbacks
In 2023, Castillo spent the entire season in Triple-A Reno, where he hit .313 with 3HR, 72 RBI, and 13 SB in 124 games. Castillo has played (63) games in LF, (31) games in 2B, and (24) games at SS, and (6) games at 3B, showing his positional versatility. In his career, he has played every position except CF and C. He played one MLB game with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season in 2023, where he was named the Organization All-Star by MiLB with Diamondbacks.
Triple-A stats 2023: .313 AVG, 3 HR, 72 RBI, 13 SB, .841 OPS across 454 AB
Career Stats: .205 AVG, 11 HR, 29 RBI, 1 SB, .630 OPS over 263 AB
He can do it all, here are some defensive highlights via Pittsburgh Pirates/X:
He can hit.
He can field.What can't Diego Castillo do?! pic.twitter.com/SQP7IE2yLr
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 10, 2022
Castillo is looking for a shot at MLB baseball once again and has come full circle and back with the team where he began his baseball career. He will have one option remaining so the Yankees can keep in the minors as depth piece to begin the season. Yankees current infield consists of Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres, Anthony Volpe, and DJ LeMahieu.
It is a smart move to have infield depth with aging player like LeMahieu and no certainty with Rizzo coming off a terrible season where he played concuss. Volpe and Gleyber however are projected to have a solid year. Other infielders: Oswald Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera, both players who are expected to have a breakout year.
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