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When Starlin castro had to leave the club for two days last month to settle what was called a “family affair”, Nationals Manager Davey Martinez didn’t hesitate to lend his full support to the veteran infielder.
“I support him 100%,” Martinez said on June 16 during a Zoom session with reporters. “We all support him here with the Nationals.”
This afternoon, after Castro was put on administrative leave by Major League Baseball, which is investigating an allegation of domestic violence against him, Martinez’s response was markedly different.
“Absolutely not,” the manager said when asked if he was aware of the allegation last month. “Like I said, I would never, ever … it’s a totally different situation. If I had known this a month ago, we would have had a different conversation, I can tell you. .
The Nationals quickly distanced themselves from Castro following today’s announcement, which allows the 31-year-old to walk away from the squad while continuing to be paid for up to seven days, although that the leave can be extended if necessary.
The club’s starting third baseman, who had reached 0.407 since joining the roster on June 18, has left a team already besieged by injuries scrambling to replace him in their roster. But based on Martinez’s response this afternoon, the field ramifications of his absence rank far behind the most serious question at hand.
“What can I tell you about myself and this organization, as you know, we do not condone any form of domestic violence,” Martinez said. “For my part, I think it’s awful. So he’s going to be on administrative leave, and after that they have an investigation, so I don’t know much else. But he won’t be with the team.
This is not the first time that Castro has found himself in such a precarious position. He was accused by a Chicago woman of sexually assaulting her in 2011 while playing for the Cubs, although prosecutors refused to charge him after not finding sufficient evidence against him.
Martinez, who was Castro’s bench coach in 2015 and was instrumental in the Nationals signing him to a two-year, $ 12 million contract before last season, said he had learned this allegation for the first time Thursday night and had been caught off guard by the news.
“I had Starlin here; he’s a good teammate, a good person to be around, ”said the manager. “Yesterday, when I was told, I was shocked, I really was. But again, like I said, we don’t condone that kind of behavior. I will support the MLB. And not just in this game, but in anything, in life, domestic violence is awful. There is no place for that, as far as I’m concerned.
Martinez addressed the whole club this afternoon ahead of batting practice, told his players he would “lose a lot of respect” for anyone guilty of domestic violence, then told his players not to let this situation deter them from their goal on the ground in the coming weeks.
The club, which is already without a left player Kyle schwarber and the catchers Yan gomes and Alex avila due to injuries, is now struggling to field a starting lineup. Jordy Mercier, who was taken off the 10-day injured list this afternoon, will start on third base in place of Castro. Josh harrison, usually the starting second baseman, remains Schwarber’s replacement in left field, with recently acquired Alcide Escobar at second base.
Martinez mentioned Mercer, Harrison and Escobar as candidates to see time on third base in the immediate future. But as the trade deadline draws near in two weeks, it wouldn’t be at all surprising for general manager Mike Rizzo to step up his pursuit of another infielder.
“These three guys are very qualified to play there,” Martinez said. “I know Mike and I will have discussions in the future to see what we can do. But I feel comfortable putting any of these guys on third base.
And what if Castro is cleared and reinstated by MLB? Would the Nationals welcome him back to the team?
“When this process is complete, it will be another conversation,” Martinez said. “But right now, like I said, until he goes through this process, I really don’t have anything to tell him or anyone about it.”
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