Cubs' Willi Castro: Sitting after three straight starts
Rotowire
Castro is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.
Castro had started in right field in each of the three games, but he'll hit the bench while Seiya Suzuki (illness) returns to the starting nine after missing each of the last five contests. Though the Cubs have an opening in right field while Kyle Tucker (calf) remains on the injured list, manager Craig Counsell could turn to Suzuki to fill the void in order to open up the designated-hitter spot for Moises Ballesteros, who has gone 7-for-18 with a home run, a triple and three walks. Ballesteros will be included in the lineup Wednesday and could be prioritized over Castro while the former is swinging the hotter bat of the two.
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Cubs' Willi Castro: Idle Wednesday
Rotowire
Castro is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Atlanta.
Though he could end up getting most of the starts in right field while Kyle Tucker (calf) is on the injured list, Castro will hit the bench after he had been included in the lineup in five of the previous six contests. With Castro taking a seat, the Cubs will open up a spot at designated hitter for Justin Turner, leaving Seiya Suzuki to cover right field.
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Cubs' Willi Castro: Filling spot in right
Rotowire
Castro will start in right field and bat seventh in Tuesday's game against Atlanta.
Castro will cover right field on the same day that Kyle Tucker was placed on the injured list due to a calf strain. While Tucker was out of the lineup for Monday's series opener, Seiya Suzuki drew the start in right field, and Castro played center field while Pete Crow-Armstrong occupied the designated-hitter spot. Crow-Armstrong should patrol center most days moving forward with Suzuki as the DH, which should open up right field for Castro on a near-everyday basis. Castro is batting just .164 in 24 games for the Cubs, but his playing time and fantasy value could get a temporary boost with Tucker on the IL.
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Cubs' Willi Castro: Swipes base, collects RBI in loss
Rotowire
Castro went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 5-1 loss to Atlanta.
Castro had one of just four Chicago hits and drove in the Cubs' only run in the bottom of the second inning. The utility player also recorded his 10th stolen base of the year in 13 attempts. It's the second straight season that Castro has reached double figures in both steals and home runs. That gives the 28-year-old some fantasy appeal when he's in the lineup, though he has struggled since coming over to Chicago at the trade deadline, posting a .159 batting average and .410 OPS in 21 games with his new team.
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Cubs' Willi Castro: Collects two hits in rout
Rotowire
Castro went 2-for-5 with a run scored in Saturday's 12-1 win over the Angels.
Castro started at third base to give Matt Shaw a breather, then shifted to center field later in the contest. The veteran utility player got off to a slow start with the Cubs after coming over at the trade deadline, but he now has a hit in three of his last four games, during which time he's batting .308. Castro remains an inconsistent fantasy performer, though he can deliver some power and speed when he's locked in.
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Cubs' Willi Castro: Hits first Chicago home run
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Castro went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run across both games of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Brewers.
Castro has been scuffling a bit since joining the Cubs at the trade deadline, but he delivered a key blast to help lead Chicago to a 6-4 win in the first game Tuesday. It was the utility man's first home run with his new team and 11th overall this season. Castro is now batting .150 across 12 games in a Cubs' uniform, though he has at least provided defensive versatility, and his big homer could get him going at the plate.
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Cubs' Willi Castro: Productive in team debut
Rotowire
Castro went 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Orioles.
After getting traded over from Minnesota on Thursday, Castro made his Chicago debut Saturday, starting at second base and batting sixth. The 28-year-old figures to move around the field for the Cubs, picking up starts at multiple positions and allowing other regulars to get some rest. Castro is slashing .248/.337/.415 with 50 runs scored across 87 games this season, and despite not having an everyday spot, he should play often enough in Chicago to maintain fantasy value.
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Cubs' Willi Castro: Moved to Cubs
Rotowire
The Cubs acquired Castro from the Twins on Thursday in exchange for right-handers Sam Armstrong and Ryan Gallagher, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
The switch-hitting Castro will likely play all over the infield and outfield for the Cubs, serving as an injury fill-in or as a lineup replacement when a regular needs a day off or is slumping. The move to Chicago could result in less playing time than he received in Minnesota, where Castro slashed .245/.335/.407 with 10 home runs and nine steals in 86 games.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Blasts 10th homer in defeat
Rotowire
Castro went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Friday's 6-4 loss to Colorado.
Castro crushed his 10th homer of the campaign while also posting his second three-RBI showing in his past three outings. The utility man has settled in nicely following a rough start to the season, which saw him post a .227 batting average and .364 slugging percentage through April 16. Since May began, Castro is slashing .276/.374/.469 with 18 extra-base hits, 35 runs scored and seven stolen bases over 223 plate appearances.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Enjoys three-hit day
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Castro went 3-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run and three RBI during Saturday's 12-4 win over the Pirates.
Castro picked up his first multi-hit game since July 3, notching at least three hits in a game for the fifth time this season. The super-utility player has enjoyed another great season at the plate, slashing .269/.361/.442 with 14 doubles, nine homers and 24 RBI. If he can keep up the pace for the rest of the season, his .803 OPS would be his best since becoming an everyday big leaguer in 2021.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Three hits in Wednesday's win
Rotowire
Castro went 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored and a stolen base in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Marlins.
He was also caught stealing, but it was still a productive night for the super-utility player, who was getting the start at second base and batting third. It was Castro's first multi-hit performance since June 15, as he was bothered by a sore wrist in late June, but he's made up for a lack of punch at the plate by getting busier on the basepaths -- half of his six steals on the season have come in the last five games.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Making return to lineup
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Castro (wrist) will start at third base and bat third in Wednesday's game against the Mariners.
A sore right wrist had kept Castro out of the lineup for each of the previous three games, but he felt well enough to appear off the bench in Tuesday's 6-5 loss. He checked out fine after going 0-for-2 while playing three innings at second base Tuesday and will now pick up his first start since Saturday. He'll occupy third base in place of a resting Brooks Lee on Wednesday, but Castro could end up seeing most of his playing time at the keystone or in the corner outfield moving forward.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Appears as pinch hitter
Rotowire
Castro (wrist) went 0-for-2 with a strikeout and played three innings at second base in Tuesday's 6-5 loss to the Mariners.
Castro entered the game in the sixth inning as a pinch hitter in place of Kody Clemens in what was the former's first appearance since Saturday. Assuming Castro's right wrist didn't provide any complications in his cameo off the bench, he could re-enter the starting nine Wednesday.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Sitting again Tuesday
Rotowire
Castro (wrist) is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mariners.
The veteran super-utility man hasn't seen the field since Saturday due to the wrist injury, which is an issue he initially played through before exiting the lineup. Castro had X-rays come back negative Sunday, though he'll still sit for a third consecutive game Tuesday. Kody Clemens is starting at second base while Harrison Bader handles left field for Minnesota.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Set to miss at least one more game
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Castro expects to miss at least one or two more games with a sore right wrist, though an X-ray conducted Sunday came back negative, MLB.com reports.
Castro has dealt with pain in the wrist since Thursday, but it wasn't until Sunday's 9-8 loss to the Brewers that he was forced to miss a game. The super-utility player looks set to remain out of the lineup for Monday's series opener versus the Mariners, and he'll be at risk of landing on the injured list if he doesn't show meaningful improvement within the next few days.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Out Sunday with sore wrist
Rotowire
The Twins scratched Castro from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers due to right wrist soreness, Audra Martin of FanDuel Sports Network North reports.
Castro had initially been slated to start in left field and bat third, but DaShawn Keirsey will end up replacing him in the lineup. Though Castro is a switch hitter, the injury is to his throwing hand, so he may have been compromised in the field had the Twins elected to keep him in the lineup. The super-utility player can be considered day-to-day heading into Monday's series opener versus the Mariners.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Stays hot in Friday's loss
Rotowire
Castro went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 10-3 loss to the Astros.
All three Twins runs came on solo shots, with Castro getting his team on the board by taking Colton Gordon deep in the fourth inning. Castro has been on fire since the end of May, slashing .408/.491/.796 over his last 14 games with five homers, 10 RBI and 12 runs, and with Royce Lewis (hamstring) suffering another injury Friday, the 28-year-old utility player will have a little less competition for playing time in the immediate future.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Three hits, steal in loss
Rotowire
Castro went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, one stolen base and one run scored in Saturday's 5-4 extra-innings loss to the Mariners.
This was Castro's second multi-hit effort in a row, though all three knocks Saturday stayed in the park after his two-homer game Friday. The 28-year-old has lifted his batting average to .254 with his recent surge at the plate, and he's added a .759 OPS, four homers, 10 RBI, 21 runs scored and three stolen bases over 37 games. He's not running nearly as much as he did in the previous two years, though his positional versatility can still carry value in fantasy. For now, Castro is poised to get most of his playing time at second base while the Twins are largely healthy among their position players.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Getting breather Wednesday
Rotowire
Castro is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.
After making seven consecutive starts, Castro is on the bench for Wednesday's series finale. Brooks Lee will slot in at second base while Trevor Larnach, DaShawn Keirsey and Kody Clemens fill the outfield from left to right.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Back in lineup Monday
Rotowire
Castro (knee) is starting at second base and batting ninth against the Guardians on Monday.
Castro will return to the Twins' lineup for Monday's series opener after missing the last two games due to a right knee contusion. He has gone 8-for-32 (.250) with one steal, eight runs scored and a solo homer in the 10 games since being activated from the 10-day injured list May 5.
