The Astros have signed right-hander Kervin Castro to a minor league deal, per a report from Evan Woodbery of MLive. The righty won’t be a factor in Spring Training since he underwent Tommy John surgery in June.
Castro, 25 in February, has 20 games of major league experience, suiting up for the Giants and Cubs. He tossed a combined 25 2/3 innings in 2021 and 2022 with a 4.91 earned run average, 21.2% strikeout rate, 9.7% walk rate and 40.3% ground ball rate.
He signed a minor league deal with the Tigers for 2023 and made 10 appearances in Triple-A before going under the knife and getting released. As mentioned by Woodbery, it was the second TJS of Castro’s career, as he underwent the procedure as a minor leaguer with the Giants back in 2017. Recovery from a second such procedure tends to be a little more challenging than the first, so it might be difficult for Castro to be a factor even in the latter half of 2024. Given those circumstances, it’s possible this is a two-year minor league deal, though that’s just speculation.
Throughout his time in the minors, Castro has racked up plenty of strikeouts though he’s also had control issues. He’s punched out 26.6% of the 815 batters he’s faced in the minors but given free passes to 10.8% of them. Once he completes his rehab, he could be a long-term depth piece for the Astros. He still has one option year and just a couple of months of major league service time.