Castro finally hit the injured list last Thursday with a right oblique strain after missing five consecutive games. All signs point to the versatile 28-year-old being ready to return at some point later this week.

Castro has been sidelined with an oblique injury since April 16th and was finally placed on the IL late last week. He has been swinging the bat right-handed and plans to swing left-handed on Tuesday. If his body responds well to that, the Twins could bring him back for this weekend’s series against Boston, which could cut into the playing time for Brooks Lee or Edouard Julien.

Castro has missed five straight games, so the move is retroactive to April 21st. There’s no guarantee that Castro comes off the IL when he’s first eligible, but this will move up the timeline a few days. Mickey Gasper was recalled in a corresponding move, but it will likely be Edouard Julien and Brooks Lee getting regular starts while Castro is out.

Castro left a game on April 16th with an oblique injury and has not appeared in a game since. The Twins have not put him on the IL, which suggests that he could be returning any day now, but he’ll now miss his sixth straight game. In that time, Edouard Julien has cemented himself as the starting second baseman, and Brooks Lee has been filling in at third base. If Castro does return soon, that would likely mean that Lee would head to the bench.