BOSTON — Rusney Castillo will take another step toward the major leagues this week.
Red Sox manager John Farrell said Sunday afternoon that if the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs were eliminated from the playoffs this weekend, Castillo would be promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket. The Sea Dogs indeed were knocked out, losing to the Binghamton Mets 8-5 on Sunday in Game 5 of the Eastern League Division Championship Series.
Castillo, who went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored from the leadoff spot in the decisive game, now will join the PawSox for the Governors’ Cup Finals, which begin Tuesday in Pawtucket. The Cuban outfielder swung the bat well overall in his four games with Portland, going 5-for-14 with a walk, two RBIs and four runs scored.
“The reports have been favorable just with the overall explosiveness the speed, the bat speed,” Farrell said Sunday. “But still we’re looking at 14 or 15 at-bats there, so it’s positive, but he’s just trying to get back in game shape.”
Farrell reiterated the Red Sox’s stance that Castillo will see time with the big club before the season ends Sept. 28, but he again did not give an exact timetable. The Governors’ Cup Finals, which determine the champion of the International League, could run through Saturday if the series requires a full five games.
The winner of that series then advances to take on the Pacific Coast League champion in the Triple-A National Championship, which will be held Sept. 16 in Charlotte, N.C. The PawSox have appeared in the interleague title game once since it was introduced in 2007, losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks-affiliated Reno Aces in 2012.
