With Pirates SS Oneil Cruz out, Rodolfo Castro 'ready for whatever position they need me to play'

Rodolfo Castro’s heart dropped when Oneil Cruz fractured his left ankle in an awkward slide and home-plate collision Sunday, feeling a sense of sorrow and frustration for his friend and fellow Dominican.

“It hurts a lot because he’s like my brother, and it hurts the team, too,” Castro said through translator Stephen Morales, a Pittsburgh Pirates coach. “We all feel the pain.”

Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Castro would get the majority of playing time at shortstop, now that Cruz has been placed on the 10-day injured list and is expected to miss four months after undergoing surgery late Sunday night on his fractured left ankle. Castro played there the final two innings of Sunday’s 1-0 win over the Chicago White Sox at PNC Park.

Shelton said his “confidence level is high” in Castro, especially after he fielded a chopper by Tim Anderson in the eighth and made an off-balance throw in time to get the White Sox shortstop out at first base.

“He actually got a ton of reps there in spring training, which makes me feel a little bit bit better,” Shelton said. “If it was a situation where he hadn’t, maybe a little bit more concerned because on that side of the ball, you have to move your feet, you have to continue to do things that are different than second. But my confidence level is high that he’s going to catch the ball.”

Castro played 26 innings at shortstop over five Grapefruit League games because of a crowded competition at second base in spring training. Shelton said Ji Hwan Bae would work in at shortstop, as the Pirates are amid a stretch of 17 consecutive games without a day off until April 24.

It’s a position switch Castro is willing to make.

“I’m gonna be ready for whatever position they need me to play, and I’m gonna give 100%,” said Castro, who is batting .188 (3 for 16) with one double in nine games, with four starts at second base. “It still hurts, as I’m not going to be able to see my teammate next to me for a while. But I’m ready for whatever comes.”

The 23-year-old played 19 games at shortstop last season, making 17 starts, with most of them coming in May after starter Kevin Newman was placed on the injured list with a groin strain. Castro committed five errors at shortstop, including one against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 4 before he was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.

“Last year helped me a lot,” Castro said. “I’m going to keep myself ready for whatever opportunity comes.”

Related:

• Pirates dealt a 'big blow' as shortstop Oneil Cruz fractures ankle in home plate collision
• Oneil Cruz's broken ankle overshadows Pirates' series-clinching win over White Sox
• Madden Monday: Oneil Cruz's injury is 'further proof that they should allow the runner to run over the catcher'

For as big of a blow as Cruz’s injury is to the Pirates, Shelton said the flip side is they have better depth this year than in previous years. The Pirates recalled infielder Mark Mathias from Triple-A Indianapolis, one of several candidates with major-league experience. Mathias, acquired from Texas in March, is slashing .333/.459/.467 and can play second base, third base and the corner outfield positions.

“It’s tough. We’ll see,” Pirates first baseman Carlos Santana said. “We lost Cruz for a little long time, but the mentality is the last 10 games, we’ve played great. We have to keep it going, do the same things that we did the last two series. I know it’s a long season. If we keep the energy, we’re doing good.”

Seizing the opportunity is key, Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen said, and pointed to Josh Harrison being selected to the All-Star Game as a utility player in 2014 after being optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis several times the previous season as a prime example.

“It gives someone else an opportunity to showcase what they can do, whoever that may be,” McCutchen said. “It gives them an opportunity for more at-bats under their belt or whatever that it is. … You can’t replace somebody like Cruz, for sure, but it gives someone else an opportunity to be able to shine and help this ballclub.”