Castillo arrives to play southpaw specialist for Bucs

CINCINNATI -- Diego Castillo will have an opportunity over the final three weeks of the season to prove his development as a big league hitter.

After getting promoted back to the Majors on Monday afternoon and arriving just three hours prior to first pitch, the 24-year-old made a statement in his return to the lineup. Castillo slugged a two-run blast into the left-field seats in his third plate appearance of the night -- one of three Pittsburgh home runs off Reds starter Mike Minor in the team’s series-opening 6-3 victory at Great American Ball Park.

After playing down at Triple-A Indianapolis since July 31, Castillo -- who had hit left-handed pitchers well during the first half of the season in the Majors -- was called back up to help combat the southpaws Cincinnati was set to showcase during the midweek series against the Pirates. The move paid off, as he turned in a 1-for-2 performance with a walk and a homer before getting pinch-hit for by Cal Mitchell once Minor departed after the fifth.

Castillo’s fifth-inning blast marked the 58th home run by a Pirates rookie this season, good for second most in the Majors behind the Royals (64).

“When he was here before, he did a nice job versus left-handed pitching,” manager Derek Shelton said. “When he went down there, there just weren't at-bats. We needed to get him at-bats for both sides. He came back up [against a] left-handed starter and did a really nice job.”

Shelton also received contributions via home runs from Bryan Reynolds and Rodolfo Castro, giving starting pitcher Bryse Wilson plenty of insurance to operate through 5 2/3 innings.

“It’s huge. It just gives you a lot more confidence to be able to go out there and go after their hitters,” said Wilson, who earned his third victory of the season. “It’s really nice and takes a lot of stress off as a pitcher.”

This season marks the first time the Pirates have had three rookies with 10 or more home runs in a season, per the Elias Sports Bureau. And while most of the attention for home-run-hitting rookies is directed towards Oneil Cruz and Jack Suwinski, Castillo has discreetly showcased his power throughout his rookie campaign.

His strength against lefties is what got him a promotion, but his focus at Indianapolis was to become more well-rounded against right-handed pitching, as well.

“I was kind of just practicing hitting righties a little bit, staying a little bit closer [and] attacking the ball," Castillo said. "I feel like I got better there. … Still, I’m the same guy, I’m the same player. I’m going to be swinging hard all the time.”

Shelton praised Castillo’s versatility before the game. Castillo has played at all four infield spots this season, as well as right field. Pittsburgh's manager gave him the start at designated hitter in Monday’s victory.

With more at-bats coming against lefty Nick Lodolo on Wednesday, Castillo will have an opportunity to prove his consistency as the team maps out its plan for next year. Castillo said that he intends on using the final three weeks of the season to carry momentum into the offseason and eventually the 2023 campaign.

“I’m going to be here all this time the rest of the season, playing hard and playing my best," he said. "[I’m going to discover] what I want to work on in the offseason, and come here again in 2023 ready to go.”