Rusney Castillo played six innings in center field for Double-A Portland on Wednesday night.
Castillo went 1-for-3 with a single, a stolen base and a run scored in Game 1 of the Sea Dogs’ Eastern League playoff series against the Binghamton Mets. Castillo, who recently signed a seven-year, $72.5 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, is preparing for life in Major League Baseball after defecting from Cuba.
Castillo, who batted leadoff Wednesday, lined out to second base and flied out to right field in his first two at-bats. He then reached on an infield single in his third at-bat, advanced to second base on a bunt, stole third and later scored on Keury De La Cruz’s RBI single.
Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington told reporters before Wednesday night’s game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium that Castillo will remain with Portland through the team’s semifinal series. It’s possible the 27-year-old outfielder could join the major league club after that point, though nothing is etched in stone.
Castillo played two games with the Gulf Coast League Red Sox in Fort Myers, Fla., over the weekend.
Photo via Twitter/@PortlandSeaDogs
