Four Detroit Tigers Who Could Lose 40-Man Roster Spots Soon

Detroit Tigers 40-man Roster Cut No. 3 – Harold Castro

Harold Castro is fun. He hung around the fringes of Detroit Tigers prospects lists a handful of years ago, but he was never a highly touted player. He looked like a classic minor-league lifer until late 2018, when the Tigers suddenly called him up to Detroit to help with their infield depth. It shocked even Castro, who had already gone home to Venezuela after the minor-league season. He made an impression in his short stint, and he became something of a Ron Gardenhire (and beat-writer) favorite over the next two seasons. Harold Castro has shown impressive positional versatility, with big-league starts at seven different positions, and he has outstanding bat-to-ball skills. Those are two nice arrows in any player’s quiver, but A.J. Hinch isn’t Ron Gardenhire. He wants players who walk, which Harold Castro has never done (career 3.6% walk rate), and players who hit the ball hard, which isn’t a particular strength either. Versatility is great, but at some point teams need more than that, and the Tigers may already have an in-house replacement for Castro.