Luis Castillo steps in as a batter after injury forces Mariners to give up the designated hitter

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle starting pitcher Luis Castillo had to do more than just try and shut down the Minnesota Twins from the mound on Sunday.

Castillo had to grab a bat and step in as a hitter after Seattle catcher Mitch Garver was injured by getting hit on the wrist and forcing a major reshuffling of the Mariners lineup.

With Cal Raleigh — Seattle’s other catcher — already in the lineup as the designated hitter, the Mariners were forced to forfeit the DH when Raleigh entered the game in the third inning behind the plate. That meant Castillo had to be put into the lineup and in the fourth inning, he stepped to the plate for his first plate appearance since Oct. 1, 2021, while he was still with Cincinnati.

The bat never left Castillo’s shoulder as he struck out looking on three pitches. He was the first pitcher to step to the plate at T-Mobile Park since Oakland’s Jason Hammel in 2014 and just the third Mariners pitcher to bat in a home game in franchise history.

Castillo is one of two pitchers in baseball to make a plate appearance this season joining Arizona’s Scott McGough, who struck out in a loss to the New York Yankees on April 3.

Garver was injured when a fastball from Minnesota starter Joe Ryan tailed inside and hit him on the right wrist leading off the second inning. Garver stayed in the game to run but was immediately replaced by Raleigh to start the next inning. The team said Garver had a right wrist contusion.

Seattle did have three catchers on the roster for a stretch with Seby Zavala serving as the backup to Raleigh while Garver primarily was the DH. But Zavala was recently designated for assignment, leaving only two possible catchers on the roster.