Jose Castillo continues to tease San Diego Padres
By David Hill
The San Diego Padres will be without lefty reliever Jose Castillo yet again due to another injury.
When Jose Castillo was acquired by the San Diego Padres in their three team swap with the Rays and Nationals, he was somewhat overlooked. While he was an intriguing prospect, he had also spent two seasons in the Gulf Coast League and was not even close to the top prospect involved. Wil Myers and Trae Turner were the headliners of the deal, and with good reason.
However, Castillo has emerged as a potential weapon in the Padres bullpen. The problem has been that he has been plagued by injuries, something that has continued again this year. This time, Castillo will miss at least the first month of the season with a teres major strain.
José Castillo was diagnosed with a teres major strain. Early timeline is around six weeks. "We're going to need some breaks for him to return to play this year," Jayce Tingler said. "We're going to stay optimistic."
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) July 9, 2020
When Castillo debuted for the Padres in 2018, he appeared to be a potentially dominant arm for their bullpen. In his impressive 38.1 innings debut, he posted a 3.29 ERA and a 0.913 WHiP, striking out 52 batters with just 12 walks.
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Last year was a lost season for Castillo. He pitched in a total of 8.1 innings, with only two of those outs coming in the majors. Sidelined by a flexor strain to start the year, Castillo tore a ligament in his hand in his only appearance last season. While he issued a walk and hit a batter, Castillo also recorded both outs via strikeout in that appearance.
Castillo is the second major loss for the Padres bullpen. Another youngster, Andres Munoz, was lost for the season due to Tommy Joh surgery. San Diego still has a deep bullpen, but Castillo’s injury leaves Drew Pomeranz as the only lefty option currently expected to be a part of the Opening Day bullpen.
Likewise, it is just another tease of what Castillo can be. He has electric stuff – a mid 90s fastball and a devastating slider that has been a weapon against lefties and righties alike. The problem is that Castillo has not been on the diamond enough for the Padres to truly unleash him in the bullpen.
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With the shortened season, the San Diego Padres needed to have a weapon like Jose Castillo. Instead, it may be another lost season for the talented, but injury prone, lefty.