Pittsburgh Pirates: SPs in a Groove, Offense Explodes & More From Dominating Sweep in Denver

Rodolfo Castro stepping up big time

When Oneil Cruz was lost to a fractured ankle on Easter Sunday, there was plenty of concern about both the shortstop position and the offense for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Well, Rodolfo Castro has stepped right in for Cruz and is filling in seamlessly.

For the most part, Castro has been fine defensively at shortstop. He has even made a few above average plays. All good to see after his struggles playing shortstop in the majors early in the 2022 season.

Offensively is where Castro's impact has been felt most. The switch hitter hit a double, a home run, and collected 4 RBI in the series. He also came very cose to hitting a second home run on Wednesday, which would have given him one from each side of the plate in the same game.

Through 55 plate appearances this season Castro is now hitting for a .319/.418/.511 slash line to go with a 154 wRC+. He's walked at a 9.1% clip while striking out 21.8% of the time. Dating back to last August Castro has been a well above average hitter in nearly 300 PAs. He apepars to emerging as a long-term building piece for the club, possibly at second base once Cruz returns to shortstop.