The Orioles announced Friday that they’ve claimed infielder/outfielder Diego Castillo off waivers from the Phillies. Fellow infielder Livan Soto was designated for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
The 26-year-old Castillo has bounced from the D-backs, to the Mets, to the Yankees, to the Phillies and now to the Orioles all in the span of two months. He appeared in only one game at the MLB level for Arizona last year and went hitless in a single plate appearance. A year prior, he logged 283 trips to the plate with the Pirates but mustered only a .206/.251/.382 batting line in his debut campaign in the majors.
Though he’s yet to have any big league success, Castillo possesses an outstanding track record in the upper minors. He hit .313/.431/.410 in Triple-A Reno last season, walking more often than he struck out: 17.4% versus 14.2%. Castillo has played in 177 Triple-A games to this point in his career and delivered a stout .296/.410/.407 line thanks to that keen eye at the plate and his excellent bat-to-ball skills. He’s walked 124 times in Triple-A against 125 strikeouts. Beyond that, he’s experienced at second base, shortstop, third base and in left field.
While Castillo has never been touted as a top prospect, he’s a versatile and contact-oriented hitter who can provide some depth — hence the whopping five teams he’s now been with in just two months. That said, there are reasons he’s been unable to hold down a roster spot. Castillo hit just three homers last year and has only twice reached double-digits in plate appearances. He’s never swiped more than 13 bases in a season. He’s generally considered a below-average runner with below-average power and a sub-par (albeit versatile) defensive skill set.
But Castillo has a minor league option remaining, and there’s still value in a bat-first utilityman with plus bat-to-ball skills. He can provide cover for the Orioles at a number of different positions, and as shown by last year’s .323/.445/.439 slash against lefties, his right-handed bat is particularly interesting in platoon situations.
Soto, 23, was just claimed off waivers from the Angels eight days ago. He’s hit .375/.414/.531 in a tiny sample of 71 big league plate appearances but benefited from a sky-high .469 average on balls in play during that time. Despite that strong showing in the majors, Soto has typically been a light-hitting but solid defensive shortstop in the minors. He split the 2023 season between Double-A and Triple-A in the Angels system, hitting a combined .237/.342/.358 between those two levels.
The Orioles will have a week to trade Soto or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. If he goes unclaimed, they can retain him without dedicating a 40-man roster spot.
What’s the over/under on when Castillo is waived? 3 days?
2.5
Btw-hammer the Tigers winning the AL Central this year!
I firmly believe the Tigers are winning the Central this year, and I’m a Guardians fan
If Castillo is smart, he’ll keep an open ended airline ticket on hand for when he gets waived again
I imagine at this point, he’s not even reporting. Just reading articles about himself on MLBTR (shameless plug)
Well ST started, so he’s got free room and board for now…?
+7 days
Poor guy has been with like 7 different organizations this offseason. I guess that’s how it goes being the 39th or 40th guy on the roster, but it’s probably a lot of hassle for him
This years ping pong. Solid couple of years in the minors. Never given a real shot in MLB. 25 years old not really worth a 40 man spot. I’m sure every team is hoping he passes through.
“Poor guy…7 different organizations”…On the flip side, have you seen this guy’s frequent flier account?..I doubt he’ll ever have to pay for another flight in his lifetime.
How many times does that make for him this winter? Either everyone or no one wants him.
“Either everyone”…Apparently everyone wants to claim him but no one wants to keep him. Kind of like the ugly girl at the 2am “last call”.
i would be stoked if livan soto even developed into a jorge mateo type of piece, will be rooting for him wherever he ends up
I wish all these Diego moves counted for Immaculate Grid:(
I hope whenever he lands he gets a call up during the season.
Where In The World Is Diego Castillo?
On his way to spring training with the Orioles.
Did you not read the headline?
😉
Speaking of which I’m sure San Diego could be arranged on the docket next
The battle for the utility guy gig at Norfolk is really heating up!
Vavra. Where is Terrin?
Terrin might find his way back on the 40 if we make a significant trade. I was surprised he cleared waivers.
Diego Castillo is the winner of the 2023/2024 MLB OHPA trophy (Offseason Hot Potato Award). ⚾️
Orioles are worried about Gunnar’s injury.
Great. Another .200 hitter
Eager to see if Soto can ever remotely come close to the very limited but successful debut he had in 2022 again.
Didn’t Angels fans scream bloody murder last week when Soto was picked up by the shrewd O’s Baseball Ops Department? Those comments didn’t age well.
A “contact-oriented hitter” with a “keen eye” who struck out 75 times in 262 ABs? Sure, it was his first taste of mlb action, and I understand that Steve was talking about his track record in the minors. Still, so far, that hasn’t translated. That said, it’s worth a shot. Low risk.
He must have a big hole in swing that mlb can exploit that minors can’t. Huge difference in his so/bb ratio.
I liked the Soto pickup, should have dumped Maton
I wonder if he’s close to setting the record for most times picked up and dropped
Profile seems a bit similar to Hanser Alberto. He did a pretty nice job for the Orioles a few years back after being picked up in similar fashion. Of course, that Orioles team was much easier to get playing time on than the current one.
Can’t say I understand claiming people then designating them right away, but it worked out last year with the first basemen. They ended up with O’Hearn
Will the Orioles wind out sans Diego?
AAAA player with limited pop. Walked 97 times opposed to 74KO last year. Hit a lot of doubles and drove in nearly 80 runs. He did crush the ball a bit in AA, but the power hasn’t shown at AAA. Been primarily a SS with over 3000 innings there, and around 1500 innings at 2b. Has played some 3b, 1b, LF, RF. Might have some speed, but is not an effective base stealer.
Would be good organizational depth. With what the Orioles have in house, it is going to be hard to crack the major league roster as an infielder. I guess everyone is trying to grab him and see if when they DFA him if he can slip through waivers.
Below average base runner,below average power, subpar defensive skill set… OUTSTANDING pickup
Not like they got him to complete for a starting job. He has position flexibility and high OBP skills, something a lot of players in the organization lack. He is organizational depth if he is kept.