Adrian Del Castillo Makes His Case for Recall to Diamondbacks

The power hitting prospect could give the D-backs' lineup a boost from the from the left side.

Aug 9, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Adrian Del Castillo (25) reacts after hitting a walk off solo home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the ninth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Adrian Del Castillo has dealt with adversity in 2025. The slugging catching prospect has had two stints on the minor league injured list this season that have limited him to just 14 games with Triple-A Reno and another 14 rehab games in the Arizona Complex League.

Those IL stints included a shoulder injury in spring training that kept him out for two months. Then just five games after returning to the Aces in mid-June, he went down with a back injury.

He's back with vengeance, however. On Sunday, he had a huge game, hitting two homers, two doubles, and driving in six runs in a 13-9 loss. That raised his batting line with Reno to .288/.386/.559, .945 OPS.

Del Castillo had a monster season at the plate for Reno in 2024, hitting for both average and power (.312/.399/.603, 1.002 OPS). He bashed 36 doubles, three triples and 26 homers in just 413 at-bats at the level.

That earned him a call up to the Major Leagues in August to fill in for an injured Gabriel Moreno. He made an immediate impact at the plate, batting .361 with 3 doubles and two homers in his first 10 games.

That included a thrilling walk-off homer against the Philadelphia Phillies for his first career homer, coming in his first home game.

Adrian Del Castillo's first career home run is a #walkoff! 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/7CdDkFPvcv

— MLB (@MLB) August 10, 2024

Del Castillo tailed off somewhat at the plate after that, but still ended the season with a .313 batting average and a .893 OPS when he was optioned back to Triple-A on September 15.

The reason he did not stick on the big league club was his defense behind the plate.

Castillo has been known to have a weak throwing arm, and despite intense efforts to improve in that area, he was able to catch only two of 29 base stealers, for a 7% caught stealing rate. His framing also registered -1, or slightly below average in a limited sample.

He's still looking for his first caught stealing in Reno this year, having gone 0-for-11 in nine games, 73 innings at catcher.

Playing in his age-25 season, it's apparent that this aspect of Del Castillo's game is unlikely to improve much, if at all, and he may not be playable at the position in MLB, outside of emergency catcher duties.

As this point, the best path forward to utilize this player would be to simply call him up to MLB to be the primary left-hand DH, at least until Pavin Smith returns from his oblique injury.

Del Castillo can still serve as the third catcher, behind James McCann and Jose Herrera, giving Torey Lovullo added flexibility to pinch-hit for the light-hitting Herrera when needed.

If Del Castillo is called up, that of course would require a corresponding roster move. The somewhat obvious choice would be Jake McCarthy, who continues to struggle at the plate. In 55 total PA since being recalled he's hit .204 with a .645 OPS.

The left-hand hitting outfielder had a seven-game hitting streak shortly after returning from Triple-A, including two homers. But he's just 2-for-19 in his last seven games.

The biggest issue with making that move would be forcing Alek Thomas into almost everyday play in center field. Thomas is very weak versus left-hand pitching.

In 244 career PA he's hit .183 with a .481 OPS against southpaws. That's slightly improved in the small sample size of 38 at-bats in 2025, in which he's collected nine hits, including a homer, batting .238 with a .617 OPS.

All of this is against the backdrop of the Diamondbacks being reported to be listening to trade offers on their outfielders.

Randal Grichuk has a mutual option for 2026, and could be moved before the trade deadline. Of course one of Thomas or McCarthy could conceivably be dealt as well, depending on the return.

Even Lourdies Gurriel Jr., who has an opt-out in his contract after 2025, could be on the block.

Circling all the way back to Del Castillo, he is a potential impact bat that the team should be finding MLB playing time for.

There is no point in wasting his offense in AAA when there is a clear need in MLB. Whether via demotion or trade, the Arizona Diamondbacks should be considering a way to make that happen.