Castillo expected to make rehab appearance with Dragons

This will be the Dayton debut for the veteran big leaguer, who has pitched for the Reds since 2017

Credit: David Jablonski

Credit: David Jablonski

Luis Castillo’s first stop on his road back to the Cincinnati Reds will come in Dayton.

The veteran big leaguer is expected to pitch for the Dayton Dragons against the West Michigan Whitecaps at 1:05 p.m. Sunday at Day Air Ballpark.

Castillo started the season on the injured list with a right shoulder strain. He’s one of 13 players on the injured list now. He threw 20 pitches in live batting practice Friday at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and threw 35 pitches in another batting practice session on Tuesday in San Diego.

“I felt good today,” Castillo told reporters on Tuesday. “My arm feels fine. My body feels fine. Everything feels health. It’s a small step toward the next step.”

Castillo would become the 37th Reds player to pitch for the Dragons on a rehab assignment. It will be his first appearance with the Dragons. He spent most of his minor league career in the Miami Marlins organization before the Reds acquired him in a trade in 2017. He pitched for Double-A Pensacola in the Reds system before making his big-league debut on June 23, 2017, with the Reds.

In five seasons with the Reds, Castillo is 40-49 with a 3.72 ERA. He made the all-star team in 2019 when he was 15-8 with a 3.40 ERA. Last season, he was 8-16 with a 3.98 ERA.

Tickets are available for Sunday’s Dragons game. Fans can call the box office at (937) 228-2287, Ticketmaster at 866-448-7849 or order online.

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