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The Red Sox have promoted outfielder Rusney Castillo and he is starting in right field tonight against the Angels, according to a team announcement. Calls for Castillo's promotion have increased in recent days in response to the Red Sox' offensive struggles during their series against the Rangers.
Castillo, who signed a six-year, $72.5 million deal with the Sox last August, has been with Triple-A Pawtucket to start the season, hitting .293/.341/.440 with two home runs in eighteen games. The 27-year old made his major-league debut last September for Boston, hitting .333/.400/.528 with two homers in ten games of major-league action.
The Red Sox have seen struggles from many key contributors this season, and are likely hoping that the promotion of Castillo will inject some life into their offense. Struggles from Mookie Betts (.233/.293/.393) and Daniel Nava (.172/.269/.207) along with almost zero production from demoted outfielders Allen Craig (.135/.237/.192) and Jackie Bradley Jr. (0-for-11 in the majors this year) have caused the team to turn to Castillo as a viable outfield option. Hanley Ramirez, Brock Holt and the oft-injured Shane Victorino have also seen playing time in the team's outfield this season.