Camp Notes: Phillies hitter makes 2 intriguing changes

TAMPA, Fla. — Rodolfo Castro approached the Phillies with an idea for a major change.

A switch hitter since his first minor-league season in 2016, Castro recently asked the team if he could stop hitting from the left side of the plate. He’ll now bat right-handed against both left-handed and right-handed pitchers. It’s a process that Castro started during Philadelphia’s Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox on Tuesday in Fort Myers.

“He asked if he could just hit right-handed,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said on Friday night, “so we’re in agreement. He didn’t want to hit left-hand anymore, so we’re in agreement. Guy doesn’t want to do something, then we’ll have to work at it, because it’s a different look. But he’s trying to make some adjustments.”

It’s not the only development happening for Castro this spring. The 25-year-old has previously only played the infield, but he’s been seeing increased time as an outfielder lately in spring training. He made his first appearance as a center fielder on March 6, and he’s played the outfield three more times this week.

The 24-year-old started in left field on Monday, came into Thursday’s game in center field and made an impressive catch and started in center on Friday against the Yankees at Steinbrenner Field. Castro has looked the part, and Thomson has spoken glowingly about his ability as an outfielder in the early goings.

“He’s an athlete,” Thomson said. “And I’ll tell you what: This outfield thing is real. He can really play out there. He gets great jumps, great reads. He sees the ball well.”

It seems like a lot for Castro to juggle, but the changes could help him after a not-so-fortunate start to his Phillies career. After playing parts of three seasons with the Pirates, he was dealt to the club in a deal that sent left-hander Bailey Falter to Pittsburgh during the 2023 season. Castro then barely played over the next two months, appearing in only 14 games after joining the Phillies on Aug. 2.

Castro started 2024 in Triple-A and hit a walk-off home run in the first game, but he missed almost the entire season due to shoulder and thumb injuries. He was removed from the 40-man roster and returned to the Phillies on a minor-league contract. His added versatility in the field could improve his chances of returning to the majors down the line.

“Now,” Thomson said, “we just got to get him reps right-on-right.”

While the defense is already a positive, Castro will need to get used to facing right-handers while batting righty before the Phillies can consider him a serious option. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts against all righties on Friday.

Having breaking pitches move away from him instead of toward his body could be a challenge. It’s not a vantage point he’s been exposed to very often. Castro has recorded just four plate appearances against righties as a right-handed hitter in his 194 big-league games with one hit: a line-drive double off former Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, who floated a 57 mph lollipop from the mound in a blowout in 2022. He’ll need to prove he can hit some tougher right-handed competition.

The potential benefit, though, is clear. Castro has slashed just .191/.268/.286 as a lefty batter in his major-league career versus .264/.329/.527 as a righty. He has a stronger side, and tapping into that could outweigh any platoon advantage. At this stage in his career, it’s worth giving a shot.

Camp Notes

• Right-hander Taijuan Walker pitched well once again on Friday, throwing four innings and surrendering two runs in a 6-5 Phillies loss. He hit 94 mph on his fastball and his splitter was sharp. He walked just one batter, but got hit hard on a pair of mistake pitches to lefties Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice. His pitches had solid movement.
  
  Walker expects to make two more starts this spring, and he’s focused on trying to build a starter’s workload. A role as a long reliever in the bullpen probably makes more sense given Philadelphia’s strong rotation. Either way, Walker looks poised to make the team if he keeps pitching like he has, which is a tremendous turnaround from his completely ineffective 2024 season.
  
• While right-hander Zack Wheeler is scheduled to take on the Tigers and Tarik Skubal in a battle of aces at BayCare Ballpark on Saturday, Ranger Suárez will also throw at the Carpenter Complex, Thomson said. The lefty will pitch in an intrasquad scrimmage on one of the back fields.