Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Rodolfo Castro has just been hit with a suspension by Major League Baseball ... after his phone made an accidental appearance during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Jeff Passan of ESPN says the league handed down the one-game ban because Castro "played while having a cell phone in his back pocket."
Pirates infielder Rodolfo Castro was suspended for one game and fined for violating MLB policy when he played while having a cell phone in his back pocket.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 16, 2022
The 23-year-old -- who's in his second season with the Pirates -- was sliding into third base when the mishap occurred. As Castro slid head-first into the bag, his phone flew out of his left pocket.
This is a first... Rodolfo Castro's phone fell out of his pocket in the middle of the game 😅 pic.twitter.com/qaPd34qroF
— Bally Sports Arizona (@BALLYSPORTSAZ) August 10, 2022
Castro was unaware the phone came out ... and the ump had to tell him it was on the ground before he retrieved it.
Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton was not pleased with Castro -- who was called up from the Minors for the game that night -- and said after the incident, "This was just a kid who made a mistake."
"It’s just one of those things we move forward from and tell him, 'You can’t do that,'" he said.
To his credit, the second-year player did take accountability for his mistake, which he contends was an honest mistake, expressing he felt "horrible" about the situation and never wanted to be the center of attention.
Rodolfo Castro's explanation of what happened with his phone at third base, via team interpreter Mike Gonzalez.
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) August 10, 2022
Derek Shelton pointed out that Castro always has his sliding pad/oven mitt, so he probably didn't know he had it. No intent on Castro's part to use his phone in-game. pic.twitter.com/6ujP28VCFG
Castro will appeal the suspension. The Pirates play the Red Sox on Tuesday.