Last September, Kervin Castro appeared in 10 games for the Giants and didn’t allow a single earned run. He pitched in three tie games, three eighth innings and two ninth innings.
Less than a year later, Castro is likely heading to another organization. The Giants designated the 23-year-old for assignment on Monday night to make roster space for Triple-A utility man Ford Proctor.
Players who are DFA’d are immediately removed from their club’s 40-man roster. The Giants have seven days to decide what to do with Castro, be it a trade, release or return to the roster.
Castro’s fall from 2021 grace is due to a dip in velocity and lack of command, Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters after San Francisco’s 8-2 loss to the Dodgers.
“It’s challenging when those two things are happening,” Kapler said. “Particularly our Triple-A is a very difficult pitching environment. If you’re not throwing a lot of strikes and you don’t have your best stuff, it’s going to be hard to survive there. It doesn’t take a huge drop off.”
Castro, a converted catcher from Venezuela, struck out 13 batters and walked four for the Giants last year. For the River Cats this season, he’s walked 24 in 32.1 innings.
Reliever Jeremy Walker, not Castro, was the player the Giants sent to Tampa Bay for Proctor. Baseball Trade Values’ algorithm gives Castro a positive worth on the trade market. A team could view this season as a blip and think of him as a reclamation project under club control.
Castro’s 5.57 ERA for Sacramento in 2022 is the highest of his professional career, beside his 27.00 ERA in two big league appearances this year.