The Houston Astros have now played two games without starting catcher Jason Castro, who is on paternity leave. A player on paternity leave can miss up to three games, doing the math that means that Castro will return Friday to catch Collin McHugh versus the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. While Castro is set to return, this means that one of the current catchers will be leaving Boston.
When Castro was put on the paternity list, Max Stassi finally made his 2016 appearance on the Astros roster. When Hank Conger was traded, Stassi was gift-wrapped the backup catching job after years of waiting.