Nats GM doesn't plan on having Castro back this season

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo says he doesn't plan on having infielder Starlin Castro back with the team this season.

Castro was placed on administrative leave July 16 by Major League Baseball under its domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy.

Rizzo, speaking with a group of reporters about a variety of issues prior to the Nationals' game against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday, didn't say if his statement on Castro was based on the whether the process will play out in time or not.

“The process is the process,” he said. “You asked the question, ‘Do I plan on having Starlin Castro back' and I said I do not plan on having him back.”

The leave was imposed under the policy adopted by MLB and the players’ union in 2015 and can be the initial step leading to a longer suspension. The administrative leave — during which a player is paid but cannot play for up to seven days — has been extended for players under the policy in the past while MLB investigates an allegation.

Rizzo said he learned about the situation the night before Castro was placed on leave. He said he has not spoken with Castro.

“I was surprised,” Rizzo said. “I was angered by it. ... it’s something that cannot happen and should not happen. It will not happen with the Washington Nationals otherwise we will fix it, and that was my thoughts at the time.”

Castro was accused of sexual assault in connection with a 2011 incident in Chicago but was not charged. Rizzo said Castro was vetted before the Nationals signed him to a two-year contract in January 2020.

“I was very disappointed when I found out the news. You know we do (vet potential acquisitions). We pride ourselves on – you’ve heard me say it a million times –...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Nats-GM-doesn-t-plan-on-having-Castro-back-this-16327901.php