Twins claim Phillies minor league pitcher Eiberson Castellano in Rule 5 draft

DALLAS – Eiberson Castellano was the Philadelphia Phillies’ minor league pitcher of the year for the 2024 season, and the Twins will give him a chance to jump from Class AA into their major league bullpen.

The Twins selected Castellano, a 23-year-old righthander, in the league’s annual Rule 5 draft on Wednesday. It was the first time the Twins made a pick in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft since they took Tyler Kinley in 2017.

Castellano, who will compete for a multi-inning role in the Twins’ bullpen during spring training, posted a 3.99 ERA in 103⅔ innings between Class A-Advanced (12 starts) and AA (eight starts) last season. He struck out 136 batters, which led all Phillies minor leaguers, and walked 29.

“He took a really big step forward this past season,” Twins General Manager Jeremy Zoll said. “His fastball is up to 97 mph, sitting around 95. Really good curveball with big miss rates. We see some opportunities to help him potentially get a little bit better. We have some ideas on how to keep refining his pitch mix.”

The Twins considered trading for Castellano last month, Zoll said, when it looked like the Phillies didn’t plan to add him to their 40-man roster. The Venezuela native wasn’t on the Phillies’ top prospect lists, but he made huge strides in cutting his walk rate.

There are strict restrictions on Rule 5 picks. Castellano must remain on the Twins’ active 26-man roster all season to remain in the organization, otherwise he will be placed on waivers and offered back to the Phillies. The Twins paid $100,000 to make the pick and can recoup $50,000 if he doesn’t stick on their roster.

“He’s obviously pitched in a variety of roles along the way between the season and winter ball,” Zoll said. “That’s helpful. … We feel like multi-inning relief is where it all settles in, but we’ll make sure he is stretched out [as a starter].”

Castellano, at a minimum, provides some bullpen depth for spring training. Brock Stewart, who underwent arthroscopic right shoulder surgery in August, started throwing a couple of weeks ago, but the Twins are unsure if he will be ready for the start of spring training.

“As everyone knows, a lot of things can happen over the course of spring training in terms of injuries and guys coming in behind,” Zoll said. “We want to have as big of a cavalry as possible. We think [Castellano] fits into that group. His versatility and ability to get multiple innings is something that helps if you are going to have that restriction of not being able to send him down.”

The Twins, who now have 38 players on their 40-man roster, didn’t lose any players in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft despite rumors teams were considering lefty Jovani Moran, who missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

The Twins signed righthander Huascar Ynoa to a minor league contract, which includes an invitation to big-league camp. Ynoa, 26, is a former Twins prospect who was traded to Atlanta in 2017 for Jaime Garcia, Anthony Recker and cash.

Ynoa hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2022, undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023. He posted a 6.15 ERA in 26⅓ innings with Atlanta’s Class AAA club last season, totaling 22 strikeouts and 13 walks, before he was released last month when he was eligible for salary arbitration.

Assistant pitching coach Luis Ramirez, who coached Ynoa in rookie ball, helped recruit him to rejoin the organization.

“Excited to bring him back into the fold,” Zoll said. “I’ve been working on him as a priority from the outset of the offseason.”