Twins place Willi Castro on 10-day injured list, recall Mickey Gasper

The Minnesota Twins placed utility player Willi Castro on the 10-day injured list on Thursday due to a right oblique strain. The move is retroactive to April 21, and the Twins recalled Mickey Gasper to take Castro's place on the 26-man roster.

In an additional move, the Twins optioned right-handed pitcher David Festa to the Triple-A St. Paul Saints. That opens a roster spot for ace Pablo Lopez, whose return appears to be imminent but has not yet been activated from the injured list.

Castro, 28, has primarily played at second base this season but has moved all around the infield and outfield during his tenure with the Twins. He's played 18 games this season, his third in Minnesota, and is slashing .227/.364/.655 with six doubles, a homer and five RBIs. He last played April 16 against the New York Mets, going 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI.

Gasper made Minnesota's Opening Day roster and played 10 games for the Twins before being optioned to Triple-A last week. With the Twins, Gasper slashed just .111/.111/.384, hitting a pair of singles, drawing four walks and scoring a run. But Gasper has been on fire in four games with the Saints, slashing .333/.917/1.417 with two homers, a double and four RBIs. On Wednesday, he hit a two-run home run in the first inning in the first game of a doubleheader against Indianapolis.

Festa has made three starts for the Twins since being recalled on April 11 when Lopez went down with the injury, recording a 1.38 earned-run average while allowing just 12 hits and three runs, two earned, while fanning 15 across 13 innings. Festa gave up four hits, two runs and fanned five in four innings in a win Wednesday over the Chicago White Sox.

Chris Paddack is the starter for Thursday's series finale against the White Sox, meaning Lopez could be activated from the injured list and rejoin the Twins at his turn in the rotation for Friday's series opener against the Los Angeles Angels. That start is currently to be announced. Lopez pitched well before going down with a hamstring injury on April 8, posting a 1-1 record and a 1.62 ERA in three starts, allowing just six runs — three earned — while fanning 14 across 16 2/3 innings.

The Twins and White Sox meet for their series finale at 12:10 p.m. CT on Thursday at Target Field in Minneapolis.

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