BOSTON — Say hello to Rusney Castillo, Red Sox fans.
The 27-year-old Cuban defector, who reportedly has agreed to terms on a seven-year, $72.5 million contract with Boston, made his first appearance at Fenway Park on Saturday ahead of the Red Sox’s matinee matchup with the Seattle Mariners.
UPDATE (2:45 p.m.): The Red Sox officially announced the signing, though the financials were not disclosed.
Castillo, wearing a Red Sox T-shirt and shorts, mingled on the field with players and signed autographs before returning to the clubhouse roughly two hours before first pitch.
Manger John Farrell, who compared the 5-foot-9, 205-pound outfielder’s body type to that of “a little bit shorter version of (fellow Cuban Yasiel) Puig,” said in his pregame news conference that Castillo is excited to be in Boston, but that there still are a few more hoops to jump through before the signing can be made official.
“He’s going through the final stages of a full exam here,” Farrell said. “He’s in town, as everyone has probably seen. … There’s still a number of administrative things that he’s got to go through — work visa, all that type of thing. So, as far as a timeline, that will be determined a little bit later.”
Farrell didn’t give an target date for Castillo’s debut, but he did say that the plan is for him to “get some at-bats at a (minor league) affiliate” before joining the big club.
The team is expected to offer more information on the matter following Saturday’s game.
Photo via Twitter/@ZackCoxNESN
