The Pawtucket Red Sox will be well represented at this year’s Triple-A All-Star Game.
The PawSox announced Wednesday that outfielder Rusney Castillo, starting pitcher Jalen Beeks and reliever Ryan Brasier have been elected to the International League All-Star Team.
This marks Castillo’s second straight Triple-A All-Star selection. He entered Wednesday leading the International League in hits (92) and ranked second in average (.315). Castillo’s selection inevitably will raise questions over whether he’ll someday return to the majors with Boston, but that scenario still seems highly unlikely given the financial implications of a call-up.
Castillo, who turns 31 in July, signed a seven-year, $72.5 million contract with the Red Sox in August 2014. He struggled for most of his time at the big league level, though, and ultimately was outrighted off the 40-man roster, meaning his average annual salary ($10.36 million) no longer counts towards luxury tax payroll calculations. The Red Sox probably won’t add Castillo back to their 40-man roster anytime soon, as it would cause them to blow past the highest luxury tax tier of $237 million, resulting in a hefty tax, a reduced top draft pick for 2019 and less financial flexibility overall.
Beeks, the Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2017, made his major league debut earlier this month at age 24. The left-hander is 5-4 with a 2.40 ERA in 13 starts for the PawSox this season and leads the International League with 101 strikeouts in 75 innings.
Brasier has posted a 1.50 ERA in 29 relief appearances for the PawSox. The 30-year-old right-hander has converted 11 of 12 save opportunities.
The International League All-Star Team is comprised of 13 elected players who have received the most votes from ballots submitted by league managers and coaches, media representatives and online fan voting. The selected players will be joined by 20 additional All-Stars selected by the International League office, with each of the league’s 14 clubs represented by at least one player.
The 2018 All-Star Game is scheduled to take place July 11 at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio.
