Former Diamondbacks Reliever Suffers Season-Ending Injury

Former Arizona Diamondbacks right-handed reliever Miguel Castro suffered a season-ending knee injury while pitching for the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, per ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

Castro was reportedly injured covering first base in the ninth inning of a 9-4 win over the New York Mets, allowing a walk and an earned run in the process. Castro's injury has not been disclosed, but it has already been designated as season-ending.

Castro was a member of the Diamondbacks' bullpen in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, as the D-backs (in a familiar story) struggled to find stability in late innings.

The tall righty pitched to a 4.31 ERA over 64.2 innings with Arizona in 2023, and served as a high-leverage arm while taking on partial closing duties in the early portion of that season. He pitched to a successful 2.22 ERA through May 28, but the season would take an unfortunately sharp turn for the worse.

A ninth-inning meltdown in a game against the Atlanta Braves sent Castro down a rough path. He put up monthly ERA figures of 6.00 or worse through August 30, and was relegated to low-leverage duties from that point forward. He had success in that role, pitching to a 1.26 ERA in his final 18 appearances of 2023. He earned himself a spot on the team's postseason roster as they made a run at a World Series title that October.

Castro went down on the Injured List with shoulder inflammation in early 2024, and never truly found his footing again in Arizona, as he struggled to a 5.93 ERA over 11 appearances, giving up four earned runs in five innings upon his return. His high-velocity sinker began steadily losing velocity, as the pitch dipped from averaging nearly 98 MPH in 2022 and 2023 to struggling to reach 95 MPH consistently.

That, along with reduced command, led to poor results across the board. He was released by the Diamondbacks on July 31, and was later signed by the Houston Astros on a minor league deal.

Castro was traded to the White Sox for Cash Considerations on May 15 of this season, and posted an ugly 7.50 ERA in just six outings, giving up five earned runs in his six innings with Chicago.

The lanky reliever is in his 11th major league season despite being just 30 years old. At the time of this news, there is no timetable for his return to any major league action, though it seems likely he will be rehabbing for some time, as seaosn-ending knee injuries can often derail major portions of a player's career.

Perhaps luckily, it's not a severe arm injury, and may not prevent Castro from making a comeback at some point, though his results have not been there for two seasons at this stage of his career.