Major League Veterans Castillo and Tarpley Join Flock
Published on April 22, 2022 under Atlantic League (AtL)
Long Island Ducks News Release
(Central Islip, N.Y.) - The Long Island Ducks today announced the signings of outfielder Rusney Castillo and left-handed pitcher Stephen Tarpley. Both players begin their first season with the Ducks, with Castillo entering his eighth season of professional baseball and Tarpley beginning his 10th.
"Rusney and Stephen give us 10 players with Major League experience on our 2022 roster," said Ducks President/GM Michael Pfaff. "We look forward to having their experience in our clubhouse."
Castillo spent parts of three seasons (2014-16) in the Major Leagues with the Boston Red Sox. He combined to play in 99 games, hitting .262 with seven home runs, 35 RBIs, 45 runs, 83 hits, 12 doubles, two triples, seven stolen bases and a .301 on-base percentage. The Cuba native made his MLB debut on September 17, 2014, at Pittsburgh, collecting his first big league hit off Francisco Liriano. His first Major League home run came on September 25 of that season off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Steve Geltz.
The 34-year-old spent the 2021 season in Japan with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. He played in 66 games combined in the Japan Eastern League and Japan Pacific League, hitting .295 with one homer, 17 RBIs, 19 runs, 51 hits, three doubles and a .356 on-base percentage. Previously, the righty hitter was named an MiLB.com Organization All-Star with the Red Sox in 2018. He also earned back-to-back International League Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star honors in 2017 and 2018 with Triple-A Pawtucket. Castillo was originally signed by the Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 2014.
Tarpley accrued four seasons of Major League experience, including two with the New York Yankees (2018-19), Miami Marlins (2020) and New York Mets (2021). He combined to appear in 44 games (one start), going 3-2 with a 7.05 ERA, three saves, and 58 strikeouts to 31 walks over 44.2 innings of work. He also made one appearance in the 2018 American League Division Series against Boston. The Los Angeles native's MLB debut came on September 2, 2018, against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium.
The 29-year-old made one appearance with the New York Mets and nine with Triple-A Syracuse during the 2021 season. He previously was named an MiLB.com Organization All-Star with the Yankees in 2018. Additionally, the southpaw earned Baseball America Low Class A All-Star honors in 2015 after going 11-4 with a 2.48 ERA in 20 starts with the West Virginia Power. Tarpley was originally selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the third round of the 2013 amateur draft.
The Ducks also announced the signing of right-handed pitcher James Varela, who begins his first season with the Ducks and third in professional baseball. He spent the 2021 season pitching with the Grand Junction Rockies of the Pioneer League. The 25-year-old made 21 appearances (12 starts), striking out 67 batters and walking 35 over 69 innings of work. Prior to joining Grand Junction, he played with four teams in the Los Angeles Angels organization during the 2019 season, combining to go 2-2 with a 3.99 ERA in 16 appearances, striking out 31 and walking 15 over 29.1 innings.
The Levittown native played his collegiate baseball at Long Island University's CW Post campus in Brookville, N.Y. In four seasons, he posted a 28-10 record with a 3.20 ERA over 49 games (44 starts). The righty totaled six shutouts, 333 strikeouts and 104 walks over 314.2 innings of work. He is the program's all-time record holder for wins and innings pitched while ranking second in starts. Varela was originally signed by the Angels as a free agent in 2019.
In corresponding roster moves, the Ducks released left-handed pitcher Alex Katz, placed outfielder Lew Ford on the disabled list and placed Tarpley on the inactive list.
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