Castillo's absence from the Rays' camp workout last week was not COVID-related, but rather a family issue that he had to go home to attend to, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The team is confident that Castillo will be ready for Opening Day. "Diego has been with us the entire six weeks leading up and throwing bullpens," manager Kevin Cash said. "I think he even had a live [BP] one time, so he'll be totally fine. But we say that barring [any] setbacks. With most of our one-inning relievers, we don't see much of an issue, with two weeks to go, to build them up."

Castillo (undisclosed) was spotted on the field Monday at the Rays' summer camp workout, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

At least in the portions of summer camp that were available to the media, Castillo hadn't been seen working out with the team since July 7 due to an unspecified reason. Now that he's back in the fold, Castillo looks like he'll be on track to make the Rays' Opening Day roster and presumably fill a key late-inning role for the team.

Castillo has not been present at Rays summer camp for the last four days, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The reliever was present for the early days of summer camp, even impressing in a live batting practice session Monday. However, Toribio's report implies Castillo's most recent workout was Tuesday, and because teams are prohibited from officially disclosing which players aren't in attendance for workouts, the reason for Castillo's absence remains unknown.

Castillo was impressive in a live batting practice at Monday's summer camp workouts, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 26-year-old had already been working out at Tropicana Field prior to the start of summer camp, so his effective performance Monday wasn't necessarily surprising. Castillo faced Willy Adames and Kevin Kiermaier in the session, and manager Kevin Cash noted the right-hander looked "really, really crisp" while also remarking Adames was left wide-eyed in admiration at the reliever's stuff.

Castillo was one of several pitchers to complete a long-toss session at Tropicana Field on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 26-year-old was joined by bullpen mates Jose Alvarado and Nick Anderson in getting work in Monday, and the group could be throwing live batting practice to teammates by Wednesday, as per Topkin. Castillo is still expected to have an important eighth-inning role in 2020 ahead of the likely closer duo of Anderson and Alvarado, but with a 60-game regular season now on the horizon, it's possible manager Kevin Cash also uses the trio (including Castillo) more liberally in the late innings than he would have in a more conventional campaign.

Castillo made five appearances for the Rays during Grapefruit League play, allowing one unearned run on two hits and a walk while striking out nine in five innings.

EDGE Analysis

Castillo looked sharp throughout spring training, which should put him on track to enter the regular season as one of manger Kevin Cash's preferred high-leverage options out of the bullpen. The right-hander could see occasional work as a closer, but he may struggle to match the eight saves he recorded in 2019 now that ace reliever Nick Anderson will be on the roster all season. Though Cash has refused to name a closer, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times notes that Anderson is "in line to get the bulk of the save opportunities." Castillo should at least provide quality ratios while serving as the Rays' No. 2 or 3 option for saves, so he's still worthy of a late-round flier in AL-only formats, and perhaps deeper mixed leagues, too.

Castillo will be the first pitcher in a bullpen game for Game 4 of the ALDS against the Astros on Tuesday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bullpen games helped get the Rays to the playoffs, so there's little reason for them to stop now. The team has yet to announce who will follow Castillo.

Castillo, who earned his fifth win against the Red Sox on Saturday, has a 3-0 record, 0.82 WHIP and 16:3 K:BB across 11 innings in September.

EDGE Analysis

Castillo has turned into one of the aces of the relief corps for manager Kevin Cash at the most critical time of year, eliminating the control issues that had frequently plagued him over the course of the season and doing a much better job of keeping the ball in the park. The right-hander has been deployed in a variety of roles -- including as a multi-inning asset -- but his impressive stuff keeps him as a very viable setup option behind closer Emilio Pagan as well.

Castillo (4-8) was credited with the victory in an extra-innings win over the Red Sox on Friday, firing a scoreless 11th inning during which he walked one and struck out two.

EDGE Analysis

Castillo worked through the quartet of Xander Bogaerts, Gorkys Hernandez, Brock Holt and Mitch Moreland on 14 pitches, preserving a 4-4 tie. Willy Adames subsequently made a winner out of Castillo in the home half of the 11th with a walkoff single, extending what's been a remarkable month for the previously embattled reliever. After allowing eight runs (seven earned) across the five innings covering his last four appearances of August, Castillo has a seven-outing scoreless streak in September that includes three multi-inning tallies and a 15:3 K:BB in 10 innings.

Castillo (3-8) tossed two shutout innings in relief, allowing one hit with no walks and three strikeouts to earn a victory against the Orioles in the second game of a doubleheader Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

The Rays went with the opener strategy in the night cap, and no reliever tossed more than two frames. Castillo took the win with the Rays getting the lead for good while he was in the game. It improved his record to 3-8, and he also has a 3.79 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 66 strikeouts in 57 innings this season.