The Cincinnati Reds are set to start the 2021 season with Luis Castillo as their Opening Day starter despite the recent foot injury suffered by J.P. Crawford in a win over the Oakland Athletics.
Crawford, who was acquired from the Seattle Mariners in the offseason, was injured while running the bases in the fourth inning of the game. He was immediately removed from the game and is expected to miss at least a few weeks of action.
The Reds had been planning to use Crawford as their Opening Day starter, but with his injury, they have decided to go with Castillo instead. Castillo is coming off a strong 2020 season in which he posted a 3.21 ERA and struck out 122 batters in 92 innings.
Castillo has been a reliable starter for the Reds since he was acquired from the Miami Marlins in 2017. He has made at least 30 starts in each of the past three seasons and has posted an ERA under 4.00 in all three of those years.
The Reds are hoping that Castillo can provide some stability to their rotation while Crawford recovers from his injury. They are also hoping that Crawford can return to the mound soon and provide some additional depth to their rotation.
In the meantime, the Reds will rely on Castillo to anchor their rotation on Opening Day. He has been a reliable starter for them in the past and they are hoping he can continue that trend in 2021.
