Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo does not expect for Starlin Castro to return to the team, according to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post.
Castro was placed on administrative leave on July 16 as Major League Baseball investigates domestic violence allegations against the infielder. The initial leave is set for seven days but the league and players’ union can agree to extend his absence.
Meanwhile, the Nationals have drawn a hard line. It appears he won’t be welcomed back. When asked if he agreed with Rizzo that Castro won’t be back with the Nationals, manager Dave Martinez replied “I agree” per Dougherty
It’s the same sentiment Martinez spoke on Friday when he said the Nationals won’t tolerate domestic violence.
Rizzo took the blame for not vetting Castro enough before signing him to a two-year deal in 2020.
“You’ve heard me say it a million times, that you read about our guys in the sports section and not the other sections,” Rizzo said per Dougherty. “And this time we failed. I’m responsible for the players that I put on our roster and on the field.”
The alleged domestic violence incident occurred earlier this summer. The Nationals have had taken the matter serious since being made aware. When Rizzo met with the players to inform them about Castro, he had a stern message.
“What I told the players when we met with them after we told the team about Castro was, ‘We got to do better. We got to do better than this. The whole world has to do better than this, and it’s unacceptable.’ It’s zero tolerance here,” Rizzo said.
