The Boston Red Sox placed disappointing outfielder Rusney Castillo on outright waivers on Saturday, according to a report from FanRag Sports published Sunday.

Red Sox Place OF Rusney Castillo On Waivers, Per Report

The 28-year-old Cuban was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket less than a week into the season and at that point, the question that remained was whether Castillo– whom the Red Sox signed to a seven-year, $72.5 million deal just two years ago– was an expensive bust.

After Castillo was sent to Pawtucket for the third time this season Saturday in favor of center fielder Ryan LaMarre, that question now appears to have an answer.

Since he was placed on outright waivers Saturday, Castillo would clear Monday, and will no longer be on the Red Sox’ 40-man roster. The outfielder is still owed $32.5 million over the next three seasons, with a $13.5 million option after 2019.

There seems to be every reason to believe that Castillo has almost fallen completely off the club’s depth chart in the outfield. Manager John Farrell said the reason behind sending Castillo to Pawtucket again was “there was a need for more regular at-bats to get him on track.”

The Red Sox would likely only reconsider placing Castillo back on their roster if several of their outfielders suffer injuries.

When Castillo signed in the summer of 2014, he was seen as a relatively speedy, multi-faceted outfielder with the potential to become a strong, everyday player. Towards the ends of the 2014 season, he was hitting just .253 with a .288 on-base percentage.

He was also viewed by the team as the primary left fielder as recently as this spring training, but it quickly became evident he was impressing few people. Brock Holt became the everyday left fielder instead.

Castillo has played in just 99 big league games, hitting .262 with a .679 OPS.

After playing 80 games with the Red Sox last season, he seems to have been forgotten this year, playing in just nine games with only eight plate appearances. With Pawtucket, he played 38 games and hit .245 with a homer, 13 RBIs, and 23 strikeouts.

When Castillo made his debut in September 2014, then-general manager Ben Cherington suggested just how risky his signing could be.

“When you’re scouting a player like Rusney who’s coming out of Cuba, it’s not a perfect scouting process,” Cherington said. “As much as I think the Red Sox and (player personnel exec) Allard Baird and Jared Banner and the others were involved to help us be as good as anyone with getting to know players like this, it’s still an imperfect process. You don’t have the hundred games that you’ve logged seeing these guys, so you have to make up for that in other ways, getting to know them, seeing them in whatever competition you can. That’s what we try to do and ultimately just, with the number of people involved, we come to a point where this is what we think the evaluation is. We believe there’s a skillset there that will allow him to be a good major league player, and we need good major league players.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2qR37OSpNI

BOSTON, MA – AUGUST 23: Rusney Castillo #38 of the Boston Red Sox hits a single during the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park on August 23, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Royals won 8-6. (Photo by Rich Gagnon/Getty Images)

Entering this Spring Training, the Boston Red Sox had a position battle for their third baseman position, Pablo Sandoval, the 2012 World Series MVP who signed with the team prior to last season on a five year/$95 million contract, and Travis Shaw, a 25-year-old prospect who played in just 65 games last season, batting .274 with 13 home runs.

Red Sox Bench Sandoval For Travis Shaw

Many assumed the competition was a formality, regardless of how the spring went, Sandoval would the the one fielding the hot corner on Opening Day.  This made Red Sox manger John Farrell‘s announcement on Thursday even more surprising, Shaw will be the team’s starter at third base.

“I’ve had a chance to meet with both guys this morning, as I’ve met with them numerous times throughout the course of spring training. For right now, to start the season, we feel this is the best for our team to go with this alignment,” Farrell said.

Shaw has hit .339 in 59 at bats during Spring Training and has played 101 innings of errorless defense at both third (90 innings) and first base.  The 25 year old has also hit two home runs and has driven in 10 runs.

“I feel like I did what I needed to do this spring to put myself in the best position, and I’m looking forward to experiencing my first Opening Day,” Shaw told MLB.com.

Sandoval has only managed a .233 average in 43 at bats with two home runs and seven RBI, and has committed four errors in 84 innings.  The third baseman has come under fire for his weight gain and rapidly declining play on both offense and defense.  After batting .279 with 16 home runs in his final year with San Francisco, “The Panda” saw his average drop to .245 with just 10 home runs in 126 games.

His fielding also dramatically decreased in his first season in Beantown.  After having a .971 fielding percentage in 2014, Sandoval’s fielding percent dropped to .949 and he committed 15 errors, finishing 2015 with a -0.9 Defensive WAR rating, which was the same as his Offensive WAR (Wins Above Replacement).

Sandoval isn’t the only multi-million dollar problem the Red Sox have to deal with, Hanley Ramirez, also acquired in the 2014 offseason saw his batting average drop to .249 during his first season back with Boston (He was traded from Boston to the Miami (then Florida) Marlins prior to the 2006 season), after batting .283 with the Dodgers the previous season.

Ramirez signed a four year/$88 million dollar deal, but was a huge defensive liability.  The Red Sox moved Ramirez to left field after he had only played shortstop and third base in his career, the result was an appalling -2.5 Defensive WAR.  The Red Sox have announced Ramirez will be their first baseman for Opening Day.

Ramirez’ offensive numbers and play only barely resemble the young superstar he was on the Marlins, winning the National League Rookie of the Year in 2006, and averaging a .313 batting average, 25 home runs, 78 RBIs, and 39 stolen bases from 2006-10.  He hit .249, 19 home runs, 53 RBIs, and had just six stolen bases in 2015.

Boston also has the issue of Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo, who they signed to seven year/$72 million deal in 2014.  The Cuban defector appeared in 80 games last season and only hit .253, with five home runs and 29 RBIs, with just six steals.  Castillo did not win a spot in the outfield rotation for Boston, who instead will use Mookie Betts in centerfield, Jackie Bradley Jr. in right field, and a platoon of Chris Young and Brock Holt in left field.

If Ramirez doesn’t improve his play this season, it might not be long before a combined $46.5 million is just sitting on the bench in the Red Sox dugout.