Adrian Del Castillo DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Arizona Diamondbacks catching prospect Adrian Del Castillo (shoulder) was placed on the 7-day injured list with a shoulder injury. Fantasy managers should monitor his status, but should expect him to miss at least a few weeks of action at Triple-A. Del Castillo received a brief taste of the majors last season and performed quite well. He posted an elite .313/.368/.526 slash line with five doubles and four long balls. During this brief stint, he generated a strong 11.5 percent barrel rate but generated a weak .215 xBA, which suggests he could face some regression when he returns to the big leagues. When he returns to action at Triple-A, fantasy managers should monitor his production at the top level of the minor leagues, as he should see time in the majors later in the summer.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have optioned catching prospect Adrian Del Castillo to Triple-A Reno. Del Castillo was competing for the No. 2 catching role behind Gabriel Moreno. However, the team will instead have him continue his development at the top level of the minor leagues. Last summer, the 25-year-old made his MLB debut and posted an impressive .313/.368/.525 slash line across 25 games. During this stint, he tallied five doubles and went deep four times. He added 19 RBI and held a 7:28 BB:K. He flashed a similar upside with Triple-A Reno last season as he posted a .312/.399/.603 line with 36 doubles and 26 long balls. With Del Castillo opening the season at Triple-A, fantasy managers should expect Jose Herrera and Rene Pinto to continue to compete for the No. 2 catching job. Del Castillo is monitoring in NL-only leagues as he carries high power upside.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Adrian Del Castillo (arm) has been dealing with arm fatigue to begin the spring. He underwent testing which didn't reveal any significant damage, so Del Castillo is believed to be dealing with a minor issue. For now, the D-Backs have decided to play it safe and limited Del Castillo to designated hitter duties to begin the spring. The expectation is that Del Castillo is going to begin the year in Triple-A, but he could earn his way into the D-Backs lineup, assuming he continues to play well in the minors.