Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Rodolfo Castro went 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBI, and two runs scored in a 8-0 rout of the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday. There could be a path to fantasy relevance starting to clear for the 23-year-old. Ji Hwan Bae's bat continues to trend down (5-for-30 in last two weeks) following a wild start in the running game. Even former first-rounder Ke'Bryan Hayes has continued a free fall (.618 OPS this season) since a tantalizing 2020. Castro, on the other hand, is quietly slashing .260/.366/.452 with five long balls and 16 RBI across only 104 at-bats this year. Keep an eye on the switch-hitter's playing time in deep leagues as he aims to build off Wednesday's results during a weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Rodolfo Castro is not in the starting lineup on Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds. It will be his second time on the bench in the last three games after he went hitless in three at-bats on Tuesday. The second-year player has struggled in the month of September, hitting .213 (20-for-94), but he does have six home runs, 15 RBI, 11 runs scored and a stolen base in 24 games played. Castro is slashing .238/.300/.450 on the year with 11 homers, 25 RBI, 23 runs scored and five stolen bases in 231 at-bats. Kevin Newman is handling the keystone on Wednesday and will hit seventh against Reds right-hander Luis Cessa. Newman is a low-upside DFS play with just two long balls in 271 at-bats in 2022.
Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Rodolfo Castro was suspended for one game and fined for violating the league's policy when he played while having a cell phone in his back pocket during the game on Aug. 9 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Castro will appeal the suspension and will be eligible to play on Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox. The 23-year-old Dominican was recently called up from Triple-A Indianapolis and has 22 hits in 92 at-bats (.239 average) with two home runs, five RBI, eight runs scored and two stolen bases in 27 games with Pittsburgh in his second MLB season. In his six games with the team in August, he's gone 8-for-21 with four extra-base hits.
Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Rodolfo Castro went 2-for-3 with two home runs, three RBI and two runs scored in a 7-3 loss to the Brewers on Wednesday. Castro carried the team on offense, as he now has homered for each of his first five career hits and is 5-for-21 with seven RBI and six runs scored over nine career games. He got the start at second base following the trade of Adam Frazier to San Diego, and he's in the starting lineup again on Thursday, as it's looking like Pittsburgh is going to give Castro a shot at the starting job at second going forward. He's an interesting guy to keep an eye on, and one to grab in deeper formats.
The Pittsburgh Pirates recalled infielder Rodolfo Castro from Double-A Altoona on Tuesday, and he is starting at second base and hitting eighth against Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Brett Anderson. Castro has hit very well in the minors this year and was 3-for-14 with three home runs in seven games earlier this year with Pittsburgh. Manager Derek Shelton said Castro will be Kevin Newman's middle infield partner, for now, after the team traded Adam Frazier over the weekend. The 22-year-old rookie was hitting .300/.349/.527 with 11 home runs, 41 RBI and six stolen bases in 53 games for Altoona, and while he's playing regularly in the short term, he will generate some NL-only appeal.
Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Rodolfo Castro went 2-for-4 with two home runs, a walk, three RBI and two runs scored in a 6-5 win over the Mets on Sunday. He's managed to make quite a splash over his last five games leading up to the All-Star break, going 3-for-10 with three home runs, four RBI and four runs scored with two walks and three strikeouts. Managers shouldn't go crazy just yet to pick up Castro, but he's definitely a rising star to keep an eye on in the second half.
Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Rodolfo Castro hit his second home run in as many days on Sunday, finishing 1-for-2 with four RBI. After launching a two-run home run Saturday against the Yankees, Castro crushed a one-out grand slam in the bottom of the seventh to pull the Pirates within a run of the Phillies. Castro had started the spring 1-for-13 with a double and seven strikeouts, and this weekend's performance now brings his slash line to .176/.176/.588 over 11 games. He will most likely have no fantasy relevancy at all in 2021, but based on his minor league career he looks like he could shape up to be a 15-homer, 10-steal threat in the future. He's worth keeping an eye on in dynasty leagues.
Rodolfo Castro
• SS
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Pirates
