Towards the end of February, we reported on the fact that Jason Castro was in a dead heat with J.R. Towles in a head-to-head battle for the Houston Astros' starting catcher job. Three weeks later, nothing has changed, reports Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle.
The longer this battle ensues, the better news it is for Castro, who would be the more obvious choice to be sent down to the minors if all else is equal. Castro has been in the majors for parts of the last two seasons and has a rapport with many of the Astros' starters. He also sports a career .188 batting average in the majors. Castro is the Astros' top prospect, but has only 268 plate appearances above A-ball.
According to the Astros, keeping both is not an option, as the team has Humberto Quintero as its backup. The loser of the Castro/Towles battle will likely head to Triple-A to be the starting catcher.
