Major leagues
On November 20,2020,the Pirates added Castro to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. [5] He was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on April 21,2021. He made his MLB debut that day as the starting third baseman in the second game of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. [6] He was optioned to the Altoona Curve in mid-July,but was recalled shortly after the Pirates traded Adam Frazier,with Castro being Frazier's replacement at second base. [7] On July 28,Castro hit two home runs against the Milwaukee Brewers. These were both his fourth and fifth major league home runs and his fourth and fifth major league hits,making him the first major league player since at least 1901 whose first five major league hits were all home runs. [8] In 31 games during his rookie campaign,he batted .198/.258/.395 with 5 homers and 8 RBI.
In 2022,Castro played in 71 games for Pittsburgh,hitting .233/.299/.427 with 11 home runs and 27 RBI. [9] He began the 2023 season with the Pirates,slashing .228/.317/.355 with 6 home runs and 22 RBI. [10]
On August 9th,2022,Castro was playing a game when he slid into third base,which would force a cellphone to slide out of his pocket. He was suspended for one game and assessed a fine for having his phone in his pocket during a game. [11]
