Rusney Castillo Out 'For Some Time' With Left Oblique Strain
BOSTON (CBS) -- Maybe having all those outfielders on their roster isn't such a bad thing for the Red Sox.
After just three spring at-bats, Boston outfielder Rusney Castillo is out indefinitely with a strained left oblique, manager John Farrell announced Wednesday.
"He's going to be down for some time," Farrell told reporters in Fort Myers, Florida, later adding there is no timetable for Castillo's return, but that it will be more than a week. "He is going through some treatment to calm down the strain right now, and there will be rotational exercises and rehab when he's ready for that."
Farrell said this is the first time the 27-year-old has suffered such an injury during his playing career, and the team will be extremely cautious with Castillo as he recovers.
As for their plans in the outfield, expect to see Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. get most of the playing time in center field.
"You'll see Mookie and Jackie in center field, primarily, and we'll fill in and rotate the at-bats and the defensive alignment accordingly," said Farrell.
30 Players, 30 Days: Rusney Castillo
Castillo was in the running for the starting center field job along with Betts this spring, and went 1-for-3 with a single in his spring debut against Boston College on Tuesday. But he suffered the injury in his final at-bat of the game, and received the bad news that he would be out for a while on Wednesday.
Boston signed Castillo last August to a seven-year, $72.5 million contract. He played 10 games for the Red Sox at the end of the 2014 regular season, batting .333 (12-for-36) with a double, two home runs and six RBI.
