Yankees Add 27-Year-Old Reliever to 40-Man Roster as Free Agency Begins
Yankees manager Aaron Boone may have more relief options after adding Kervin Castro to their 40-man roster.
The New York Yankees cut Jonathan Loaisiga loose, and they may have found his replacement.
New York added minor-league right-hander Kervin Castro to its 40-man roster Thursday, keeping him away from free agency and securing his roster spot for 2026.
Loaisiga’s $5 million option was not picked up by the Yankees earlier this week, which opened a spot on the team’s 40-man roster. Castro spent his 2025 season in Triple-A with the Yankees and went 5-1 with a 1.53 ERA and four saves in 47 innings in 35 appearances.
Kervin Castro Has Not Pitched In The Majors Since 2022
Castro was an effective setup man for Scranton/Wilkes Barre in 2025, but he has earned the reputation as a 4-A pitcher.
The 26-year-old has a 1-2 record with a 4.91 ERA in 20 appearances in the majors but has not pitched in the bigs since his 10 2/3-inning stint with the Chicago Cubs in 2022.
Castro, a native of Maracay, Venezuela, came up in the San Francisco Giants organization. He signed as a 16-year-old free agent and climbed through their farm system and advanced to the majors in 2021 — after the minor-league season was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Cubs claimed Castro off waivers, but he struggled in the majors there in 2022. However, he found his form first in Triple-A with the Detroit Tigers in 2023, sporting a 2.30 ERA in 15 2/3 innings before the Houston Astros plucked him and added him to their 40-man roster.
Castro missed the entire 2024 season after having Tommy John surgery, and the Yankees claimed him in last year’s Rule 5 Draft.
Kervin Castro May Have A Role With The Yankees
The Yankees have done well with reclamation projects in the Matt Blake era, since their pitching coach has found the best ways to get the most out of journeyman relievers.
New York first converted Clay Holmes to an effective closer and turned Luke Weaver from a failed starting pitcher into a closer for the American League champions in 2024.
So the fact Castro was effective in Triple-A, and was added to the Yankees’ 40-man roster, bodes well for his potential to contribute this year, especially since he has big-league experience. Plus, Loaisiga is gone, and Weaver and Devin Williams are likely to depart via free agency.
One thing working against Castro could be his substandard fastball velocity, since he only averaged about 94 mph on his four-seam fastball when he last pitched in the majors in 2022, according to Baseball Savant.
Castro marries that fastball with a slow curveball and a cut-fastball that averaged about 89 mph, though he only threw his cutter 8 percent of the time in the majors
Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors spelled out the type of role Castro could play, which would put him in a role akin to that of what Yerry De Los Santos did for the Yankees in 2024.
“Castro is still young and has shown enough flashes when healthy to be worth keeping in the organization,” McDonald wrote. “It might take an injury or two, but he could factor in as a multi-inning reliever with the Yankees at some point this season.”
Lions Lob Rare Criticism at Jake Bates for Avoidable Slip-Up
Despite focusing on their upcoming game against the Washington Commanders, the Detroit Lions cannot wrap their heads around last week’s crushing defeat to the Minnesota Vikings. While both the offense and defense share responsibility for the loss, much of the blame has been dealt to second-year kicker Jake Bates.
According to Detroit Lions beat reporter Jeremy Reisman, special teams coach Dave Fipp attributed the blocked field goal attempt “entirely because of the kick trajectory”. Down seven with 6:29 left in the game, Bates’ 45-yard field goal was blocked and returned to Detroit’s 26-yard line. Just before Bates kicked the ball, his foot hit the turf early, kicking up pellets and affecting his kick.
This momentum-swinging play ultimately crushed the Lions’ hopes of mounting a comeback, as the Vikings extended their lead to 10 with a field goal with just 3:33 remaining in the game.
Jake Bates’ Recent Kicking Struggles Starting to Raise Concerns
Bates' blocked kick has summed up his kicking struggles this season. Through eight games, the 26-year-old has made nine of his 13 field goal attempts, hitting just 69.2% of his kicks, which is well below the league average of 83.9%. While Bates has connected on all of his 30 extra point attempts and has made all but one kick from under 50 yards, he’s struggled to hit kicks from 50 and beyond, nailing just two of his five attempts.
This comes as a surprise considering how terrific he was in his rookie season. Last year, Bates quickly emerged as one of the best kickers in the league, connecting on 26 of his 29 field goal attempts, ranking 11th in field goal percentage (89.7%), while hitting six of his eight attempts from over 50 yards. His 64 made extra points ranks seventh all-time for the most extra points made in a season.
Lions’ fans have every right to be concerned and frustrated with Bates’ recent performance. He’s already missed more field goals than he did all of last year, and he’s had a miss in each of Detroit's past two games. While Bates rightly received criticism for his low kick that played a part in last week’s loss, fans shouldn’t expect his disappointing play to continue.
All kickers, no matter how good they are, will go through slumps. Kickers, just like baseball players, go through stretches where they are unable to hit and have to make adjustments to their approach. In these times, their coaches should be the ones giving them encouragement and advice on how to get them back on track.
Fipp made a bold move, giving Bates criticism for his slip-up, and while it was fair for him to do so, he should be the one responsible for getting Bates back into his rookie form. Whether it's a technique or confidence issue, the Lions must rebuild Bates and put him in the right position to succeed.
Perhaps it’s bypassing a short-yardage situation on fourth down and opting instead to attempt a field goal that gets Bates out of his slump. Regardless, Lions fans shouldn’t give up on Bates just yet, as having quality kickers has become a rarity, and Bates has demonstrated that he is one of them.
This week is the perfect time for Bates to come out of his slump, as the Commanders will be without quarterback Jayden Daniels for the foreseeable future. Detroit's offense should be able to score at will and give Bates plenty of opportunities to put the ball through the goalpost.
