MLB

Castillo tells Mets: ‘I can’t be here any more’

Luis Castillo finally admitted what Mets fans have been screaming almost since the day he arrived in Queens.

“I can’t be here anymore,” the second baseman told The Post before last night’s series opener against the Phillies at Citi Field. “I know I’m not going to be here next year.”

Although general manager Omar Minaya wouldn’t comment on Castillo’s desire to be moved, a team source said Castillo had not requested a trade, but that the Mets are aware of his desire to play every day.

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The veteran, who is vilified by Mets fans, has over a year left on his four-year, $25 million contract. Because of his diminished skills, he likely won’t have a lot of other teams interested, making him tough to trade, but he said he still believes he can be a starter.

“I know I can play every day,” said Castillo, who was benched in favor of struggling rookie Ruben Tejada again last night. “I’m not a bench player. I can still play.”

Mets fans might disagree, especially since the infamous night at Yankee Stadium on June 12, 2009, when Castillo dropped a final-out popup off the bat of Alex Rodriguez, allowing Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira to race home with the winning runs in a 9-8 Yankees victory.

Castillo has underperformed for much of his time with the Mets, but actually was playing better when the team recalled Tejada, along with fellow rookie Fernando Martinez, from Triple-A Buffalo when the team was in Philadelphia last weekend.

“I didn’t even know it was happening until I got to the ballpark that day, that I wasn’t playing,” Castillo said. “They said they wanted to go with younger guys. I said, ‘OK.’ There’s nothing I can do about it.”

At the time of his benching, Castillo said he was prepared to do whatever the Mets asked him to do. However, now that it’s apparent Tejada will play regularly, things have become more difficult for the veteran.

“It’s not good,” Castillo said. “It’s hard, especially when you know that you can still do it.”

Castillo hasn’t been able to keep a low profile, even on the Mets’ bench. Earlier this week, he was named in a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court by a fan who was struck in the face by pieces of the second baseman’s broken bat in a game at Shea Stadium three years ago.

Castillo, who began his career with the Marlins in 1996 at the age of 20, came to the Mets in a trade from the Twins in 2007, then signed a four-year, $25 million contract during that offseason.

“I came here to be an every-day player and I know it’s been hard with the injuries I’ve had, but I feel good now and thought I was playing well,” Castillo said. “I’ve been playing for 14 years and I’ve never gone through anything like this.”

A year removed from a season in which he hit .302, the former All-Star is hitting just .241 with no homers and 15 RBIs in 62 games this season. He has missed time with bruised feet that plagued him throughout much of the season.

Tejada originally provided a spark for the Mets when he was called up to replace Castillo before the young infielder fell apart at the plate. The rookie was sent back to Buffalo when Castillo returned from the disabled list on July 19.

After his return, Castillo eventually began showing signs of life at the plate, even if his range defensively doesn’t compare to Tejada’s skills.

“They want to go with young guys, I guess,” Castillo said. “That’s what they tell me now. I’m not ready to be a backup.”

Tejada has not been any better offensively than he was when he was sent down in July. Since his return, the team’s new second baseman was 0-for-14 in four games before starting last night.

“If they think that he’s the best player, that’s OK,” Castillo said. “I just don’t want to be a backup when I’ve been playing every day for my whole career.”

dan.martin@nypost.com