Rusney Castillo passed his first real defensive test.
Castillo, who didn’t see much action in center field in his major league debut Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, was a busy man Friday against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. The Cuban outfielder made a sliding catch and recorded his first outfield assist with the Boston Red Sox.
Castillo was challenged right away in the Sox’s series opener against the O’s. He recorded back-to-back putouts to open the bottom of the first inning. The second play was an impressive sliding grab in shallow center field on David Lough’s sinking line drive.
The action didn’t stop there for Castillo, who will play in both the Arizona Fall League and the Puerto Rico Winter League after the Red Sox’s season wraps up. Lough followed Alejandro De Aza’s one-out double in the fifth inning with a single into center field. Castillo aggressively charged it and unleashed a strong one-hopper to the plate to cut down De Aza.
While one shouldn’t read too much into Castillo’s overall results over the final week-plus, it’s encouraging to see him already making an impact defensively. Defense is considered to be one of the 27-year-old’s strengths.
