The Royals announced that reliever Harold Castro signed to a minor league contract. The 31-year-old Castro will receive an invitation to Kansas City’s big league spring camp.
Castro is no stranger to the AL Central, having spent his entire professional career (and his first five MLB seasons) with the Tigers before joining the Rockies on a minor league deal before the 2023 season. He appeared in 99 games with Colorado after his contract was designated for the active roster, but Castro spent the 2024 season out of affiliate baseball, instead with the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League.
Castro hit .320/.366/.447 over 363 plate appearances and 84 games with Tijuana, and followed that strong performance with even bigger numbers in the Venezuelan Winter League. This was enough for the Royals to consider a camp invite, and the left-handed hitting Castro is now in contention for a job on the KC bench.
Despite his short-lived nickname “Hittin’ Harold” during his time in Detroit, Castro has a .278 / .303 / .366 slash line over 1485 career plate appearances at the MLB level. His minor league numbers aren’t much better, though it’s worth noting that Castro hasn’t played in the minor leagues since the 2019 season. What he brings to the table is defensive play, as Castro has played every position except striker during his major league career, with little experience in all four infield positions.
Kansas City, if anything, may have more depth in the infield already, given that some of the Jonathan India or Michael Massey they can find themselves in left field when they are not on second base or the designated hitter. The Royals also recently signed Cavan Biggio in the minors’ deal, so both Castro and Biggio will be competing for the same roster spot as a lefty. The third baseman Michael Garcia swings from right and haven’t produced much at the plate, so third base stands as a logical platoon spot for Castro (or Biggio) to carve out a niche for playing time.
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