Last offseason, as the Blue Jays waited for then-free agent shortstop Bo Bichette to decide whether he would return to Toronto, the club signed a power-hitting infielder who averaged a home run every 25.7 at-bats, a better rate than Bichette’s one every 27.7 at the time.
But the Blue Jays let the infielder, Rodolfo Castro, go when Castro informed them that he planned to pursue a contract with a Japanese pro team.
Now, the former Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies shortstop is a free agent again after the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters announced his departure.
The 27-year-old exits Japan after a season of diminished power and an off-field legal dispute in the Dominican Republic, with no team publicly lined up for 2027.
Castro, born in Los Llanos, Dominican Republic, signed with Pittsburgh as an international free agent in 2015 and made his MLB debut on April 21, 2021. In 194 games across three seasons, he batted .219 with 22 home runs. The Pirates traded him to Philadelphia for Bailey Falter on Aug. 1, 2023, and he has not played in the majors since.
His introduction to the big leagues was historic. On July 28, 2021, two home runs against the Milwaukee Brewers made him the first player in the modern era whose first five hits were all home runs.
Castro’s Power Drop-Off With Hokkaido Nippon-Ham
Power has long defined Castro. He is an “energetic free-swinger with considerable raw power,” according to Baseball America.
“I don’t go up there with a mentality to hit home runs,” Castro said, as quoted by DK Pittsburgh Sports. The homers, in his telling, came from contact rather than design.
“In a year of firsts, I’ve definitely never seen five hits, five homers,” then-Pirates manager Derek Shelton said, as quoted by the Tribune-Review. Shelton did not expect the pace to last.
Castro hit 11 home runs in 71 games for Pittsburgh in 2022, then hit .235/.324/.421 with 19 homers and 18 stolen bases at Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2025. His 2025 total works out to a home run every seven games.
Japan brought a decline. In 71 games for the Fighters, Castro hit .215 with eight home runs, 24 RBI and four stolen bases. That is three fewer homers than in his 71 games for the Pirates in 2022, and a rate of one every nine games.
On Oct. 14, Castro disclosed an arrest warrant in the Dominican Republic tied to a contested $10,285 invoice for home design work, according to Yakyu Cosmopolitan. He said he never settled on a fee or signed an agreement and that he offered $2,000 to cover the firm’s time. His stay in Japan was the reason he missed his scheduled court appearances, he said.
The Fighters announced that Castro left Japan the night of Oct. 14, while the club was playing in the Pacific League Climax Series final stage. He had been off the active roster since Sept. 28 and was not on the bench for the series. Teammate Franmil Reyes defended him on Instagram, writing that the situation could happen to anyone, according to Daily Sports.
Blue Jays’ Castro Release and Free Agent Outlook
Toronto signed him to a minor league contract with a spring training invitation on Nov. 25, 2025, as the free agency of Bichette hung over the club’s offseason. The Blue Jays had deep infield options even if Bichette departed.
Why did Toronto let him go? The club released him to pursue the Nippon-Ham deal on Jan. 9 without a game appearance for Toronto, according to 7News Boston‘s Ari Alexander. Castro would likely have been at Triple-A Buffalo otherwise. A week later, Bichette agreed to a three-year, $126 million deal with the New York Mets.
No MLB club has been publicly linked to Castro since Nippon-Ham cut ties. The Pirates, Phillies and Blue Jays have all employed him, and he can play second base, shortstop and third base, credentials that fit the veteran infield depth clubs often add on minor league deals.
Castro, who turns 28 in May, has not publicly detailed his plans for 2027.
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