When the Twins traded for minor-league utility man Diego Castillo and sent him to the injury-riddled Saints on April 5, it amounted to adding a warm body.
Sunday afternoon at CHS Field he was the hottest of a suddenly hot-hitting Saints lineup, as the Saints opened up an 8-0 lead and held on for a 13-11 win over the Iowa Cubs.
Castillo, acquired from the Baltimore Orioles organization for cash considerations, led off the bottom of the first inning with his second home run with the Saints before adding three singles.
He said opening the game with a home run definitely got the juices flowing. “It gave me a lot of confidence to keep going,” Castillo said.
The 26-year-old Castillo appeared in 96 games with Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022, hitting .206 with 11 home runs and 29 runs batted in. The Twins are his sixth organization since then, but with the number of the injuries the Twins and Saints have had, it looks as though he has landed in a good spot.
“Opportunities are out there all the time,” Castillo said. “It’s a good opportunity whenever I’m still playing baseball.”
Primarily an infielder, Castillo said he learned to play the outfield while with the Pirates. He played right field on Sunday, after making three starts at second base, three at third base and two at shortstop.
That versatility can only enhance his chances of getting back to the majors, and Castillo is confident he will get another opportunity.
“I feel like playing hard is the key for every player,” Castillo said. “I was there with the Pirates; I spent a good amount of time there. The big leagues are the best. I feel working hard and playing hard are going to take me there again.
“Wherever they send me to play I am going to give my best. If they send me to the big leagues, it will be the same.”
Castillo had a lot of company when it comes to offensive stars on Sunday. The first four batters in the Saints’ lineup — Castillo, DaShawn Keirsey Jr., Yunior Severino and Chris Williams — were a combined 10 for 20, with three home runs, two doubles and nine RBIs.
Severino, who hit 35 home runs last season between Double-A Wichita and the Saints, which tied for the most in minor-league baseball, is hoping his slow start to the season is behind him. He entered the game with a batting average of .095, with one home run and two RBIs.
Severino hit a three-run homer in the third inning and added a two-run double in the fifth.
“I feel good,” Severino said through Castillo, who served as his interpreter. “I never changed my routine. I’ve been working hard, and I know good things are going to come.”
Coming off such a big year, which moved him up among the Twins’ top prospects, the 24-year-old Severino said he has not felt any added pressure this season to duplicate — or exceed — what he did last year.
“There’s no pressure on me,” Severino said. “This is a new year. I’m going to keep giving 100 percent. I’m not thinking about last year.”
Saints starter Caleb Boushley was staked to an 8-0 lead after three innings, but he wasn’t able to stick around to pick up the win. He held the Cubs hitless through the first three innings, but was touched up for six hits and three runs before exiting with two outs in the fifth.
The Cubs scored three runs in the sixth and four in the seventh to change the complexion of a game that appeared on its way to being a rout.
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