José Castillo leaves Padres simulated game with injury
Credit: AP Photo
San Diego Padres left-handed relief pitcher José Castillo left his live batting practice early with an injury, according to Kevin Acee and A.J. Cassavell.
José Castillo walked off mound after a half-dozen pitches, and his first live BP of spring was finished.
Appeared to be in discomfort and clearly frustrated.
Lefty has pitched in one game since 2018.— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) March 2, 2021
Early end to José Castillo’s sim game. Larry Rothschild called for a team trainer. Unclear why, but suffice it to say, Castillo has dealt with his share of injury trouble in the past.
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) March 2, 2021
According to the early reports, Jose Castillo left today’s simulated game due to forearm tightness.
Castillo did not pitch in the 2020 season due to an injury, and he only logged one appearance in the middle of the 2019 season before heading back to the injured list. It is safe to say that Castillo has a very sketchy injury history.
In 2018, Castillo made his major league debut and excelled for the Padres. In 38.1 innings, Castillo posted a 3.29 ERA with a .913 WHIP while also recording 52 strikeouts.
If this injury puts Castillo on the injury list to start the season, the Padres may have a lefty problem in the bullpen. Considering that the situation revolving around Matt Strahm‘s knee injury remains unclear, an injury to Castillo adds another missing left-handed arm.
Other lefty’s Drew Pomeranz and Tim Hill will need to step up in their potential absence, and young arms in Ryan Weathers and Adrián Morejón can fill those spots, too.
Dominic is a graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Journalism. He also is the producer and co-host of the “Padres EVT Podcast.”