The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed veteran utility man Juan Castro, who played for them all of last season, to a minor league contract less than two weeks after he was released by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Although both Oscar Suarez, Castro's Phoenix-based agent, and Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said there were no guarantees written into the deal, it stands to reason Castro probably will be one of the minor league players the Dodgers will promote for the September roster expansion.
Castro, 38, signed a one-year, $750,000 contract with the Phillies last winter after appearing in 57 games for the Dodgers last season, batting .277. Suarez said the Dodgers came calling within minutes of Castro's release by the Phillies and said signing with them made sense for Castro, who was originally signed by the club out of Mexico in 1991, spent his first five major league seasons with the Dodgers before being traded to Cincinnati in April 2000 and aspires to work for the Dodgers in some capacity after his playing career ends.
Castro presently is working out at the Dodgers' spring training facility, which is just down the freeway from his home in Peoria, Ariz., and will join Triple-A Albuquerque when the Isotopes open their next homestand on Aug. 4 against Sacramento.
Tony Jackson covers the Dodgers for ESPNLosAngeles.com.