Kervin Castro

Kervin Alexander Castro (born February 7, 1999) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs. He signed with the Giants as an international free agent in 2015, and made his MLB debut with them in 2021.

Baseball career Castro was born in Maracay, Venezuela. At 15 years of age, he hit 88 mph in his second bullpen session.

San Francisco Giants Minor leagues Castro signed with the San Francisco Giants as an international free agent for $100,000 in 2015, when he was 16 years old. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017. That led to him missing all of the 2017 season and nearly all of the 2018 season, only pitching one inning in 2018 in the DSL. On November 20, 2020, the Giants added Castro to their 40-man roster in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Castro split 2021 between the Triple-A West Sacramento River Cats and the major league Giants. With the River Cats, Castro was 6–1 with one save and a 2.86 ERA in 30 relief appearances covering 44 innings, in which he gave up 6.3 hits and struck out 12.3 batters per 9 innings. He throws a fastball that reaches 97 mph, a sharp power curveball, and a changeup.

Major leagues On September 6, 2021, Castro was called up by the Giants to the major leagues. A day later, he made his MLB debut against the Colorado Rockies at 22 years of age. Castro pitched two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out one batter.

In the 2021 regular season, he was 1–1 with an 0.00 ERA. In 10 games he pitched relief innings, in which he had 13 strikeouts.

Chicago Cubs On August 2, 2022, he was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs and was optioned to Triple-A Iowa Cubs. He struggled to a 7.59 ERA across 8 appearances for Chicago, and was designated for assignment on September 6. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A on September 9. Castro elected free agency following the season on November 10.

Detroit Tigers On December 12, 2022, Castro signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers organization. In 2023, he made 10 appearances for the Triple–A Toledo Mud Hens, recording a 2.30 ERA with 19 strikeouts and 1 save in innings pitched. On June 14, 2023, it was announced that Castro had undergone Tommy John surgery, ending his season. He was released by the Tigers organization on August 9.

New York Yankees On November 18, 2023, Castro signed a minor league contract with the Houston Astros. The New York Yankees selected Castro from the Astros in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft on December 6. He spent the 2024 season in rehabilitation due to his elbow surgery.

In 2025, Castro made 35 appearances for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Rail Riders, logging a 5–1 record and 1.53 ERA with 52 strikeouts and four saves across 47 innings of work. On November 6, 2025, the Yankees added Castro to their 40-man roster to prevent him from reaching minor league free agency.

Castro was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to begin the 2026 season. He made five appearances for the Yankees, recording a 1.42 ERA with eight strikeouts across innings pitched. On August 11, Castro was placed on the injured list due to right elbow neuritis. He was transferred to the 60–day injured list on August 26, officially ending his season.