Castro likely to miss first few games of TNT due to injury

Still recovering from a hamstring pull that forced him out of Game 7 of TNT KaTropa’s Final Four series with San Miguel Beer in the PBA Philippine Cup, Jason Castro will sit out “at least the first couple of games” of the Texters in the Commissioner’s Cup firing off March 17.

Coach Nash Racela told the Inquirer on Friday of Castro’s status and said that they won’t be taking any chances with his franchise player’s health, whether it be a Game 7 or a conference opener.

“He’s practicing with the team, doing some select drills,” Racela said of Castro, who stepped out near the halfway mark of Game 6 against San Miguel. “But he’s still recovering and he’s still not 100 percent.”

The Texters, who lost the last two games against the eventual champion Beermen, open up against sister team Meralco on March 24 at Smart Araneta Coliseum, with TNT to parade former Best Import winner Denzel Bowles.

Despite having one of the oldest cores in the league, TNT finished fourth with an 11-9 overall record in the Philippine Cup after blowing that 3-2 Final Four lead against the Beermen.

Made to come off the bench by Racela ever since he took over at the start of the season, Castro still logged an average of 16.35 points per game—ninth best in the Philippine Cup and the only Texter in the Top 12 of the department.

Castro was also No. 2 in the assists department with a shade over six an outing, next only to San Miguel’s Chris Ross, who averaged just under seven a game.

“We want to make sure that Jason is fully recovered before he plays,” Racela said.