DETROIT — Longtime Detroit Tigers utility man Harold Castro is headed to play in Asia for the first time in his career.

Castro agreed to a deal with the Kia Tigers of Korea last month.

The 32-year-old native of Venezuela spent the 2025 season in the Kansas City Royals system after playing the 2024 season in Mexico.

Castro spent more than a decade in the Tigers’ organization and played in the big leagues from 2018-2022. When the Tigers non-tendered Castro after the 2022 season, he was the longest-tenured player in the organization after Miguel Cabrera.

Castro went from minor-league obscurity to a fan-favorite as a super-utility player with the Tigers. Known as “Hittin’ Harold,” Castro was always good for a clutch single, even if he rarely walked and his power was limited.

He made his Major League debut in 2018 when he was summoned back to the United States late in the season after having already gone home to Venezuela. The following year he became an unlikely regular while playing a variety of positions. In 2022, Castro posted a .681 OPS (98+) in 443 plate appearances, which made him among the Tigers’ top hitters in a struggling lineup.

Former Tigers Daz Cameron, Victor Reyes, Wilkel Hernandez, Elvin Rodriguez, Drew VerHagen and Matt Manning will also be playing in Korea in 2026.

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