PORT ST. LUCIE — Luis Castillo is off the manager’s spit list.
The scorned second baseman reported to the Mets’ spring training complex yesterday, technically on time, but a few days later than manager Terry Collins would have liked him here. Castillo said he remained in the Dominican Republic to be with his brother, Julio Cesar, who will undergo “serious” surgery today.
“We talked about why I wanted him here,” Collins said. “I brought up the fact it sends messages to everybody that he’s determined to be the second baseman and turn over a new leaf. He told me why he didn’t get here early. Why didn’t [Castillo] tell me? It certainly would have changed the way I looked at things.”
Castillo will compete with Daniel Murphy, Justin Turner and Brad Emaus for the starting second base job. Collins said Castillo is on equal footing with the others entering camp.
“This is spring training, and I’m ready to show everybody I’m healthy and I can play second base,” Castillo said. “I feel I’m ready and still can play.”
Castillo, who is owed $6 million in this final year of his contract, doesn’t seem insulted to be competing against three other players with limited major league experience at the position.
“That’s on me,” Castillo said. “I didn’t do my job, so [Collins] has to do something. I want to give everything I have in spring training, and if it works out that’s good. If it doesn’t, I can’t do anything.”
During his meeting with Castillo, the manager brought up Castillo’s dropped pop up that cost the Mets a game at Yankee Stadium in 2009.
“I just want him to understand if that’s led to anything that has happened in the last year or the last year-and-a half, then we’ve got to get past it,” Collins said. “I just said, ‘Is the pop up bothering you?’ He said, ‘No,’ but I’m sure it has. I said, ‘You’re not the first guy to ever drop one.’ “