Rusney Castillo joined the Boston Red Sox with the highest of expectations. A $72.5 million contract will do that to you.
But while Castillo has yet to become an everyday Red Sox starter nearly one year after signing that lucrative deal, the 28-year-old outfielder says his paycheck hasn’t resulted in any added pressure to produce.
“Obviously, the ($72.5 million) number is a high one. I’m aware of that,” Castillo told the Boston Herald on Wednesday through translator Adrian Lorenzo. “But honestly it’s not something I’ve ever really thought about. My lifestyle’s changed a little bit, but I haven’t changed the way I go about my business much from when I was in Cuba. There’s a lot more to do, but I’m still trying to get disciplined work in to keep getting better and better. Yes, it’s a high-dollar value contract, but at least personally, I’ve never looked at it as added pressure.”
Many expected Castillo to take over as the Boston’s everyday right fielder after the team traded away Shane Victorino, but so far, that has not been the case. Castillo started six of his first seven games following his most recent call-up, but manager John Farrell gave left-handed-hitting Alejandro De Aza the nod for the first two games of the Red Sox’s current series in the Bronx.
De Aza has been a pleasant surprise in his 46 games with the Sox, posting a .308/.354/.504 slash line with seven doubles, five triples, three home runs and 22 RBIs. He’s in the final year of his contract, however, and might not be a part of the team’s long-term plan.
Castillo, who most certainly is a part of said plan, did pinch-hit in each of the last two games and has gone 10-for-26 with two doubles, one home run, four RBIs and five runs scored since returning from Pawtucket.
“We have an obligation, as players and as staff, to our fans to put forth the effort each and every night with the intent to win,” Farrell explained, via the Herald, before Wednesday’s 2-1 win over the New York Yankees, “but internally our decision-making has got to come from, what information do we get on the players that will be here beyond 2015? It’s a balance to give the appropriate number of at-bats to all involved.”
Thumbnail photo via Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports Images
