Castro is starting in center field and batting eighth Tuesday in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Astros, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Castro didn't start any of the Twins' first three postseason games but has now been in the lineup for each of the last two after starting in left field in Game 2. He reached base twice and scored a run in that contest. Michael Taylor will begin Game 3 on the bench.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Sitting Sunday
Rotowire
Castro isn't in the Twins' lineup Sunday against the Angels.
Castro will sit for the second consecutive game after recording five hits over his last three games. His absence will allow Michael Taylor to start in center field while batting ninth.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Out of lineup
Rotowire
Castro will hit the bench Saturday against the Angels, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
Castro is one of several regulars who will get a rest the day after the Twins clinched a postseason berth. Andrew Stevenson will get the nod in center field.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Goes deep in victory
Rotowire
Castro went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer in Tuesday's 7-0 win over Cincinnati.
Castro reached on an infield single in the fifth inning before hitting a towering, two-run homer in the seventh that extended Minnesota's lead to 6-0. In 15 games since returning from an oblique injury Sept. 3, the switch-hitting speedster has posted a slash line of .291/.333/.545 with three home runs, seven RBI, 11 runs and two steals across 61 plate appearances. Castro has started 14 of 16 games since his return and figures to maintain his everyday role given his positional versatility and the fact that Carlos Correa is once again dealing with plantar fasciitis.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Homers, tallies three hits
Rotowire
Castro went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and two runs scored in Saturday's 8-4 victory over the Mets.
Castro doubled in the bottom of the second before coming around to score on a Donovan Solano single, making it a 2-2 game. The left fielder then added a solo homer in the eighth to extend Minnesota's lead to four runs, and he finished with three hits on the day -- his first time accomplishing that feat since July 18. Castro is now batting .471 in September and has recorded multiple hits in three of his last five games.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Scores twice in starting role
Rotowire
Castro went 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs and an RBI in Monday's 20-6 win over the Guardians.
Castro did a little bit of everything for the Twins in the blowout victory, starting in center field before spending two innings at third base and then pitching the final inning of the game. After returning to the Twins' active roster over the weekend following a three-week stay on the injured list due to the oblique strain, Castro could get a look as the team's preferred option in center field in the short term while both Michael Taylor (hamstring) and Byron Buxton (knee) remain on the shelf.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Officially reinstated
Rotowire
Castro (oblique) was activated from the 10-day injured list Sunday.
The 26-year-old has been sidelined since Aug. 12 with an oblique strain but will rejoin the Twins on Sunday after a three-game minor-league rehab assignment. With Michael Taylor landing on the shelf with a hamstring strain, Castro could see regular run in center field for the near future.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Set for activation Sunday
Rotowire
Castro (oblique) will be activated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Sunday's game against the Rangers, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Things seemed to be trending that way, and a roster spot has opened up with Michael Taylor (hamstring) expected to land on the IL. Castro could see playing time in center field while Taylor is out and, of course, is also capable of filling in at multiple other positions.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Could return Sunday
Rotowire
Castro (oblique) is expected to join the Twins this weekend in Texas and could be activated Sunday, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Castro had been on a rehab assignment at Triple-A St. Paul but left Wednesday for the birth of his second daughter. It looks like he'll be activated this weekend and will not need any more rehab games. Castro was placed on the injured list Aug. 15.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Return date from IL unclear
Rotowire
Castro (oblique) is 2-for-7 in two rehab games at Triple-A Rochester, but it's not clear when he'll be activated from the 10-day injured list, MLB.com reports.
From a health standpoint, Castro looks ready to return from the IL, but his wife is due to give birth Wednesday, so he could end up immediately heading to the paternity list if activated Tuesday or Wednesday. With that in mind, Castro may not be cleared to play in games for the Twins until after the roster expands to 28 men Friday.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Scratched with back issue
Rotowire
Castro was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's game against the Phillies due to lower-back tightness, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Castro had been set to play third base. Jorge Polanco will slide over to the hot corner in Castro's absence, with Edouard Julien taking Polanco's spot at second and Ryan Jeffers joining the lineup to take Julien's vacated designated hitter spot.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Swipes 29th bag
Rotowire
Castro went 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a steal in Wednesday's 9-5 loss to Detroit.
Castro's now recorded exactly one hit in seven straight games, sporting a .810 OPS over that span. The 26-year-old utilityman has been an unexpected source of speed this season -- he's now 29-for-33 on stolen base attempts, tying him for fifth most in the league, after swiping nine bags in each of his previous two seasons. Castro's positional versatility has afforded him regular at-bats in his first year with the Twins. He's now slashing .247/.329/.380with five homers, 42 runs scored and 26 RBI across 308 plate appearances.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Gets fifth consecutive start
Rotowire
Castro will start at third base and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Tigers, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Though Michael Taylor appears to have wrested the everyday center field role away from Castro, the latter's defensive versatility will allow him to stick in the lineup for the fifth game in a row. Castro has now picked up three starts at third base and two in left field over those five games, contributing two stolen bases during that stretch to bring his total up to a team-high 28 for the season. The 26-year-old looks like he'll remain a mainstay in the lineup versus left-handed pitching, and he should be able to work his way into the starting nine at least semi-regularly versus right-handed pitching, too.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Sitting again Wednesday
Rotowire
Castro is not in the lineup Wednesday versus the Cardinals.
Michael Taylor will make a third straight start in center field for the Twins. Castro has put together a few multi-hit games in recent weeks, but he's slashing just .246/.330/.369 across 277 total plate appearances this year.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Takes seat Tuesday
Rotowire
Castro is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cardinals.
He'll take a seat for the series opener in St. Louis after he closed July on a high note, batting .324/.425/.441 with three extra-base hits, six stolen bases, five RBI and three runs over his final 11 games of the month. Michael Taylor will spell Castro in center field and hit ninth.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Racking up walks, steals
Rotowire
Castro went 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI in Saturday's 10-7 loss to the Royals. He also reached base on a hit by pitch.
After missing three consecutive games last weekend with a bout of conjunctivitis, Castro has been dialed back in at the plate since re-entering the lineup Monday. While making three starts in center field and two at third base over his last five contests, Castro is getting on base at a .429 clip and has bagged three steals to go with two extra-base hits, two RBI and two runs. He'll start in left field in Sunday's series finale and will likely see most of his playing time in the outfield moving forward now that infielder Jorge Polanco has returned from the 10-day injured list.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Back in lineup Monday
Rotowire
Castro (eye) will start at third base and bat sixth in Monday's game against the Mariners.
Castro is back in the lineup for the first time since Thursday after a bout with conjunctivitis kept him on the bench for the entire three-game series with the White Sox over the weekend. Fortunately for the Twins, Castro showed enough improvement in his recovery from pink eye to make a cameo in Sunday's 5-4 win, as he went 1-for-2 with a double, a stolen base, an RBI and a run upon entering the game in the bottom of the ninth. Now that he's been cleared to start again, Castro should take back a near-everyday role for Minnesota.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Sitting out Sunday
Rotowire
Castro (eye) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.
He'll take a seat for the third day in a row while he battles an eye infection. Michael Taylor will pick up another start in center field and will bat ninth in the series finale.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Sidelined again Saturday
Rotowire
Castro (eye) will remain on the bench for Saturday's game against the White Sox.
Castro and Joey Gallo were both scratched Friday due to pink eye, and neither player is ready to return Saturday. Michael Taylor will again cover for Castro in center field.
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Twins' Willi Castro: Scratched with conjunctivitis
Rotowire
Castro was scratched from the lineup Friday against the White Sox due to conjunctivitis, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
The infection seems to be going around the clubhouse, as Joey Gallo is also out Friday with pink eye. Donovan Solano will cover third base instead as Castro grabs some treatment and rest. He'll presumably be able to return to action at some point during the Twins' three-game weekend series versus Chicago.
