The Philadelphia Phillies made a bold choice back in November to leave right-hander Eiberson Castellano unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft. By not adding him to the 40-man roster, he was eligible to be picked by any other MLB team. That's exactly what happened when the Minnesota Twins selected the 23-year-old pitcher in the major league phase of the draft on Dec. 11.
However, it seems that Castellano is on his way back to the Phillies.
If you're unfamiliar with Rule 5 Draft rules, the MLB phase allows teams to select any eligible players not on a 40-man roster for $100,000. The catch is that they have to remain on their new team's active roster all season or be offered back to their original organization.
Twins send Rule 5 Draft pick Eiberson Castellano back to Phillies
Like so many past Rule 5 picks before him, Castellano has been returned to the Phillies after he failed to make the Twins' 2025 Opening Day roster. The Twins placed him on waivers, but he went unclaimed, and the Phillies reportedly took him back, according to Bobby Nightengale, Twins beat writer for The Minnesota Star Tribune — a move that will cost them $50,000.
Twins Rule 5 pick Eiberson Castellano cleared waivers and was returned back to the Phillies.
— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) March 25, 2025
It was a bold Rule 5 pick by the Twins to begin with. Castellano hadn't pitched higher than Double-A, where he finished the 2024 season. He did, however, win the Phillies' Paul Owens Award as the organization's top minor league pitcher in 2024. In 22 games (20 starts) split between High-A Jersey Shore and Double-A Reading, he posted a 6-5 record with a 3.99 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with 29 walks and 136 strikeouts in 103 2/3 innings pitched.
Unfortunately for the Twins, Castellano didn't acclimate well to his new surroundings during his time on the Twins' mound this spring. He appeared in seven Grapefruit League games, posting a 7.59 ERA and 1.78 WHIP over 10 2/3 innings. He demonstrated his strikeout upside with 13 punchouts, but that came with 10 walks.
The Phillies, who signed Castellano out of Venezuela in July 2018, will be more than happy to welcome him back to the organization. It's unknown where he'll start the 2024 season, but a good bet would be Double-A to see if he can find his groove again with the Fightin Phils before being tested against better competition in Triple-A.
More Phillies news from That Ball's Outta Here
manual