Cubs trade two prospects for utilityman Willi Castro, Amaya placed on 60-day IL

Jesse Johnson - USA Today Sports

Cubs Media Relations · 21 hours ago

CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today acquired infielder/outfielder Willi Castro from the Minnesota Twins for minor-league right-handed pitcher Ryan Gallagher and minor-league right-handed pitcher Sam Armstrong. In a corresponding move, catcher Miguel Amaya has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. The Cubs 40-man roster currently stands at 40 players.

Castro, 28, is batting .245 (74-for-302) with 15 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 27 RBI, nine stolen bases and a .743 OPS in 86 games with the Twins in 2025. The switch-hitting infielder/outfielder is batting .278 (25-for-90) with four home runs, 11 RBI and an .837 OPS vs. left-handed pitchers, compared to .231 (49-for-212) with six home runs, 16 RBI and a .703 OPS vs. right-handed pitchers.

Castro has spent time this season at second base (42 games), left field (36 games), right field (30 games), third base (13 games), shortstop (five games) and center field (one game). He had two multi-homer efforts in a five-game span from May 30-June 3, hitting both of his homers on June 3 as right-handed batter and both of his homers on May 30 as a left-handed batter, becoming the second switch hitter in Twins history (since 1961) with a multi-homer game from each side of the plate in the same season, joining Chili Davis (1991).

In 671 career major league games with Detroit (2019-22) and Minnesota (2023-25), Castro owns a .248 average (551-for-2,225) with 107 doubles, 23 triples, 55 home runs, 222 RBI, 74 stolen bases and a .706 OPS. In 2024, Castro made his first career A.L. All-Star team, batting .247 (138-for-558) with 31 doubles, five triples, 12 home runs, 60 RBI and 14 stolen bases. Hed paced all Twins players in games (158), hits (138), runs (89) and stolen bases (14), Following the season, Castro was named the MLBPAA Heart and Hustle Award winner for the Twins.

A Rio Piedras, P.R. native, the six-foot, one-inch Castro was originally signed by Cleveland as a non-drafted free agent in July 2013. He was traded from the Guardians to the Tigers in a three-player deal on July 31, 2018 and signed with Minnesota as a minor-league free agent in December 2022.

Gallagher, 22, is 4-6 with a 3.43 ERA (32 ER/84.0 IP) and 96 strikeouts with High-A South Bend and Double-A Knoxville in his first professional season this year. He was selected by the Cubs in the sixth round in 2024.

Armstrong, 24, is 2-7 with a 4.62 ERA (46 ER/89.2 IP) with Double-A Knoxville this season. He was by the Cubs in the 13th round of the 2023 draft.