Jason Castro’s seemingly minor knee injury has taken him from “day-to-day” to “out 4-6 weeks” to now “done for the season,” the Twins announced Wednesday.
Castro sat out back-to-back games April 30-May 1 because of right knee soreness, but he returned to play the next three days. On May 5, he went on the DL with a meniscus tear, and surgery Monday, expected to sideline for a month or so, turned up damage quite a bit more significant than expected, ruling Castro out for the year.
Castro was valued primarily for his framing skills when the Twins gave him a three-year, $21 million contract prior to last season, and he’s hit .227/.321/.365 over 419 at-bats in the last year and a quarter. In his absence, the Twins will go with Mitch Garver and journeyman Bobby Wilson as sort of an offense-defense combo behind the plate. They have no immediate plans to seek someone better, but they’d be smart to explore any opportunities that come along.