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After two days of mental lapses, Willi Castro gets vote of confidence from manager

betsy helfand, pioneer press
·3 min read

Rocco Baldelli considered taking Willi Castro out on Wednesday night. He opted against it.

Castro had lost track of the number of outs in the second inning, catching a fly ball in center and then starting toward the dugout rather than hustling to get the ball in to try to prevent a runner at third from scoring.

The next ball in the inning was hit toward Castro, as well, and after catching it, the utilityman let out a visible show of frustration, chucking the ball up at an advertisement atop the center field stands.

“He obviously told me he was thinking about taking me out, but he said he wasn’t going to do that,” Castro said. “I really appreciate that. To be honest, I don’t know what I was thinking. … I know that’s not going to happen again. I’m going to be more aware.”

It had been two days of frustration for Castro in center, filled with multiple mental mistakes, the worst of them coming on Wednesday. But Baldelli is well aware of Castro’s work ethic. He’s well aware of how much he cares. He’s well aware of how valuable Castro is to the Twins.

And the best way to get him on track, he believes, was to put him right back out there — albeit in a different spot. Castro started at third base on Thursday, finishing the day with one of the Twins’ three hits in their 5-0 loss to the New York Yankees.

“I think he’s just trying to find a way to mentally just settle down and relax so he’s not anxiety-ridden when he’s out there on the field,” Baldelli said. “You can’t play this game that way. I think that’s what’s going on, just kind of (a) snowball effect. The only way to get through that — I think one of the easiest ways to get through that — is just to move on by playing.”

Starter Pablo López was on the mound when Castro’s mental lapse happened on Wednesday and said Castro had approached him and took responsibility for it.

While Castro said he’s not quite sure what happened — he said he had never lost track of the number of outs in an inning before — he was most mad because he “wasted a run” for López.

“The emotions, that happens. Obviously, nobody wants to do something bad like that,” Castro said. “Everybody wants to do well. You know, I know next time it’s not going to happen again. I’m going to be more aware and … today’s a new day.”

Buxton nears return

The rough go of it for the Twins’ outfield defense continued on Thursday when Alex Kirilloff was unable to handle a ball that ticked off his glove on the warning track. The hit was ruled a double and scored a run.

The good news for the Twins is that their best outfield defender should be back in relatively short order. Byron Buxton, who started Wednesday for the Triple-A Saints, continued his rehab assignment on Thursday as their designated hitter.

Baldelli said they would assess Buxton’s health after that game, at which point the team would know more about when the center fielder might play next for the Twins. It seems likely Buxton will meet the team for its upcoming series in Cleveland, which begins Friday with a 6:10 p.m. first pitch.

“That’ll be especially helpful on the defensive side of the ball,” Baldelli said. “His range changes things. It changes the game out there. I think that’ll be a very good thing for us when it comes to making outs out there.”

Briefly

The Twins will send Simeon Woods Richardson, Bailey Ober and Chris Paddack to the mound this weekend against the Cleveland Guardians. … Friday’s game will be televised on AppleTV+.

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