Castro has signed with the yet-to-be-named Atlantic League based in Frederick, Maryland.
Castro spent last season in the Mexican League following a two-year stint with the Nationals. Now 33, Castro might have spent his last day in the big leagues.
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Starlin Castro: Released by Nationals
Rotowire
Castro was released by the Nationals on Thursday after his domestic violence suspension was completed, Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic reports.
Castro hasn't played since prior to the All-Star break, first while on administrative leave while the league investigated domestic violence allegations against him and then while serving his suspension. The Nationals made it clear shortly after the allegations became public that they did not intend for Castro to play for them again, and they've now followed through on that promise.
Castro was suspended 30 games without pay Friday and fined an undisclosed amount for violating the league's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Castro will also be ineligible to participate in the postseason and will enter a treatment program. His suspension will expire in early September, though the Nationals intend to release him once his suspension is over, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com, so he won't be playing for them again this season.
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Nationals' Starlin Castro: Leave extended
Rotowire
Castro's administrative leave was extended by seven days Friday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
Castro's leave now runs through July 29, but there's little reason to expect him back at that point. Similar situations in the past involving accusations of domestic violence have typically seen the administrative leave extended several times until the league completes its investigation, and the Nationals have already said they don't expect Castro to play again this season.
Nationals' Starlin Castro: Unlikely to return to team
Rotowire
General manager Mike Rizzo said Tuesday that he does not expect Castro to return to the Nationals this season after allegations of domestic violence landed the infielder on administrative leave last week, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
The league is still investigating the 31-year-old, but it doesn't sound like he'll be suiting up for Washington again even if he avoids a serious penalty. Castro's future is a major question mark, and it remains to be seen whether he'll see a major-league diamond again anytime soon.
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Nationals' Starlin Castro: Placed on administrative leave
Rotowire
Castro was placed on administrative leave Friday while the league investigates an alleged domestic violence incident, Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic reports.
The leave will initially last seven days. It's unlikely Castro returns after that period, however, as similar situations have typically involved multiple leave extensions until the league completes its investigation.
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Nationals' Starlin Castro: Reaches base three times in loss
Rotowire
Castro went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the Padres.
Castro picked up his third multi-hit effort over the last four games. He's been seeing the ball extremely well lately, recording a hit in 15 of his last 17 contests while only striking once over his last nine. The 31-year-old notched a pair of singles in his first two at-bats Tuesday and came around to score off a Josh Harrison homer in the fifth. Castro is slashing .267/.321/.355 with three homers, 34 RBI, 23 runs scored and a 25:62 BB:K over 324 plate appearances.
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Nationals' Starlin Castro: Drives in lone run Sunday
Rotowire
Castro went 2-for-4 with a double and one RBI in Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Dodgers.
Castro swatted a double in the bottom of the first inning Sunday, and he gave the Nationals a brief lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the third to put the team's only run of the game on the board. The 31-year-old has recorded hits in each of the last seven games, and he's gone 10-for-21 with a home run, two doubles, seven RBI and five runs during that time.
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Nationals' Starlin Castro: Ends homer drought
Rotowire
Castro went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, two-run single and walk during Wednesday's 15-6 win over the Rays.
Castro's two-run single gave the Nats a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the third. The third baseman later stroked a long ball off Michael Wacha in the bottom of the sixth, marking his first homer since May 18. Castro concludes the month of June with 23 hits (nine XBH) and nine RBI across 92 at-bats. He enters July with a .253/.405/.343 slash line on the campaign.
Castro went 1-for-4 with a double Tuesday in the Nationals' 3-2 win over the Phillies.
Since returning to the Nationals last week after a two-day stint on the restricted list, Castro has immediately settled back into an everyday role at third base. He's started each of the past four games, going 4-for-13 while recording a double in each of the last three contests. Castro will be back in the lineup again for Wednesday's series finale in Philadelphia, batting seventh.
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Nationals' Starlin Castro: Returns from restricted list
Rotowire
Castro (personal) was reinstated from the restricted list Friday, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.
The 31-year-old was placed on the restricted list Wednesday while tending to a family matter, but he'll rejoin the team ahead of Friday's series opener versus the Mets, though he's absent from the starting lineup. Castro is hitting .239/.287/.312 through 254 plate appearances this season, so there's a chance the recently promoted Luis Garcia receives some opportunities for playing time.
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Nationals' Starlin Castro: Placed on restricted list
Rotowire
Castro was placed on the restricted list Wednesday so he can tend to a family matter, Maria Torres of The Athletic reports.
After Castro didn't appear in Tuesday's win over the Pirates, Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday the veteran infielder will be away from the team for an indefinite period of time while he deals with the personal matter. Luis Garcia was recalled from Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move, and he could settle into a regular role at second base against right-handed pitching. In that scenario, Josh Harrison would cover Castro's usual spot at third base. Veteran utility man Jordy Mercer will also be in the mix for added playing time at either second or third base while Castro is away from the team.
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Nationals' Starlin Castro: Not starting Tuesday
Rotowire
Castro will sit Tuesday against the Pirates.
Castro will sit for just the second time all season despite the fact that he's hitting just .239/.287/.312 on the year. Jordy Mercer will get the start at third base against his former team.
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Nationals' Starlin Castro: Doubles in second straight
Rotowire
Castro went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Sunday's 5-0 win over the Giants.
Castro closed out the weekend with back-to-back games with RBI doubles, with the pair of two-baggers coming after a stretch of 22 games in which the 31-year-old provided only one extra-base hit (also a double). He's sitting on a .317 slugging percentage on the season, a woeful rate for any hitter, much less than an everyday starter at third base. If the 27-35 Nationals continue to fade from the playoff picture, it wouldn't be surprising if the team moved Castro out of his regular starting role and cleared up more at-bats for Carter Kieboom and/or Luis Garcia, who are currently playing at Triple-A Rochester.
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Nationals' Starlin Castro: Sitting Sunday
Rotowire
Castro is not in the starting lineup Sunday against the Brewers, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Castro will get at least the beginning of Sunday's series finale off. Jordy Mercer will start at the hot corner and bat eighth.
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Nationals' Starlin Castro: Breaks slump with homer
Rotowire
Castro went 1-for-5 with a solo home run during Tuesday's loss to the Cubs.
Castro evened up the score by cranking his second long ball of the season against Zach Davies in the sixth inning. His last homer came more than a month ago, and the veteran infielder had gone 0-for-18 over the prior four games. Overall this year, Castro is batting .267/.319/.363 with 17 RBI.
