Castellanos dislikes universal DH: I joined Reds 'to play defense'

For at least one season, the National League is adopting the designated hitter, much to the displeasure of Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos.

Castellanos made it clear Tuesday he has no interest in ditching his defensive duties when the DH makes its Senior Circuit debut this year.

"I don't want to DH," Castellanos told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "I chose to come to the Reds, first and foremost, (because) I believe they can win. But also, I like being in (the) National League where I get to play defense every day."

Despite his desire to play the field, defense has never been Castellanos' strong suit. He accrued minus-9 defensive runs saved last season, tied for fourth-worst among all qualified outfielders.

Castellanos has made just 41 of his 888 big-league appearances at DH and has actually hit better overall as an outfielder.

Career splits by position

The Reds' lineup is stacked with power hitters who can serve as the DH, including infielder Mike Moustakas and outfielders Nick Senzel and Shogo Akiyama.

Though Castellanos may not have a choice as to whether he occasionally slots in as the DH in Cincinnati, he'd prefer to try to improve his reputation as a poor defensive player.

"A goal of mine is to become a better and better defender every year that I play - every game that I play is probably a more appropriate answer," he said.

The 28-year-old joined the Reds on a four-year, $64-million contract this offseason. His deal contains opt-out clauses after the first two campaigns.