WHO REMEMBERS RUSNEY CASTILLO? COULD HE BE CALLED UP IN 2020?

( Boston, MA,05/22/15) Boston Red Sox right fielder Rusney Castillo (38) reacts after being thrown out at first in the 8th as the Red Sox take on the Angels at Fenway Park. Friday, May 22, 2015. (Staff photo by Stuart Cahill)

Who remembers Rusney Castillo? If you were a fan of the Red Sox back in 2014 then you know exactly who I’m talking about, but if you have just started watching the team then you’re probably thinking, “who the heck is that?” Well Rusney Castillo has been making around $10 million per season for playing in Triple-A Pawtucket since he was sent down during the 2016 season and hasn’t seen the Fenway outfield since.

In 2014, Castillo was looked at as one of the best Cuban prospects coming out of the country, and this was during a time when Jose Abreu had just finished his breakout rookie season with the Chicago White Sox and Yasiel Puig had been making headlines with his high potential. Due to Abreu’s unreal rookie season, his performance put a lot of high expectations on the other players that would come over from Cuba such as Hector Olivera, Yasmany Tomas and Rusney Castillo. Castillo was the first player after Abreu to pursue an MLB contract, so there was a lot of hype surrounding his name and his potential. He was looked as a speedy outfielder with power and could be better than Jacoby Ellsbury when he’s actually healthy.

Especially since Ellsbury left Boston for a massive contract with the Yankees, Ben Cherington and the Red Sox were desperately looking for a replacement. Due to the need at the center fielder position and the predicted high potential of Castillo, the Red Sox signed him to the richest contract for a Cuban free agent of seven years for $72.5 million. Since he signed that contract, he’s only played 99 games in the MLB and has spent the last 3 years down in Pawtucket. Even though he hasn’t been called up since 2016, Castillo has still turned in a few very productive seasons since he’s won two straight PawSox MVP awards during the last two seasons.

The reason Castillo has been stuck down in Triple A for so long is all due to the Red Sox’s payroll situation. According to Sports Illustrated, “By keeping him down, the Sox cut his eight- figure salary from luxury- tax considerations. If they had promoted him this year, they would have to pay him around $7 million in taxes.” Since Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox sacrificed trading Mookie Betts and David Price this last offseason to get under the luxury- tax threshold, there’s a very small chance that he will get another opportunity to play at Fenway Park at least in a Red Sox uniform.

The biggest question about this whole situation is if rosters get expanded due to the season’s delayed start, will Castillo be called up and get another opportunity. He’s currently going into his age 33 season and will be a free agent at the end of the 2020 season. It will be interesting to see if the Red Sox will give him another opportunity with the big league club and will bite the bullet on how much they are going to have to pay him. In my opinion, he would be a great bench outfield option that has good speed with a lot of motivation and drive to prove himself to the Boston fans.