Detroit Tigers Activate Nick Castellanos From Disabled List
Detroit Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos has been out since early August due to a hand injury. The 24-year-old now returns to the team just in time for the last stretch of the regular season.
Detroit Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos is back from the disabled list.
The team announced the move via their official Twitter account in a tweet on Tuesday afternoon. Detroit tweeted, “The #Tigers today have activated INF Nick Castellanos from the 15-day disabled list.”
Although the Tigers offense has produced as of late, the presence of the third baseman should help the team make a push towards the playoffs.
Castellanos’ injury came at an unfortunate time as he was in the midst of a breakout season. In 105 games, the veteran hit .286 with 58 RBI, 52 runs scored, 23 doubles, 18 home runs and four triples.
Despite missing time, the 23-year-old still ranks sixth on the Tigers in wRC+.
His 1.8 WAR currently checks in ahead of the likes of Victor Martinez, Justin Upton and Jose Iglesias. Lastly, Castellanos ranked third among Detroit regulars with a .214 Isolated Power (or ISO) number.
The Tigers were in the midst of a stretch that included winning 10 of 11 games when Castellanos went down. There obviously aren’t enough games left in the regular season to go on that kind of a hot streak, but Castellanos’ bat will help Detroit’s playoff chances.
Place in the Order
Prior to his injury, Castellanos was hitting sixth for the Tigers, behind Victor and J.D. Martinez and just ahead of Justin Upton.
However, with Upton producing at a torrid rate offensively, the Tigers regular third baseman may end up hitting seventh.
This would once again bring significant depth to the lineup, specifically the bottom third of the order.
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Some combination of James McCann, Erick Aybar, Jose Iglesias and Andrew Romine have filled out the final three of Detroit’s batting lineup. Adding Castellanos to the mix provides a significant upgrade.
It may end up being advantageous that the former first-round pick hits seventh, as there would be less pressure on him out of the gate.
Replacements
Detroit hasn’t had the easiest time replacing the team’s starting third baseman.
Andrew Romine has provided a solid source of defense and the ability to hit for contact, but he doesn’t bring anywhere near the offense that Castellanos does.
The same can be said for Erick Aybar (93 wRC+, .095 ISO) and Casey McGehee (33 wRC+, 0.11 ISO) when compared to Castellanos (119 wRC+, .214 ISO).
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With Aybar in the lineup at third for Tuesday’s contest, it is possible that Castellanos could make his return on Wednesday.
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