Because he was able to field, run and bat from the right side, the Twins hoped to get utility expert Willi Castro back from an oblique strain in less than 10 days. That plan ended Thursday.

Castro still can’t bat left-handed without the injury bothering him, so the Twins placed him on the 10-day injured list and recalled Mickey Gasper from St. Paul.

“It’s kind of weird,” Castro said. “I know that right-handed (it) doesn’t bother me. Left-handed does. I can swing left handed, but I feel if I do my game swing, it’s going to get tight.”

The move is retroactive to April 21, so Castro, 28, will be eligible to return May 1. But Castro said he expects to miss 10 days and will spend the next few days resting.

“It’s Grade 1. It’s not bad,” Castro said. “The doctors told me that’s a good thing, it’s not bad. Hopefully (I’ll) just rest these days and let’s see what happens in a couple weeks.”

Castro is hitting .227 with six doubles and a home run in 18 games. Gasper arrives having homered in each of his past two games in St. Paul, where he is hitting .333.

López starts Friday

Right-hander Pablo Lopez is scheduled to be activated from the 15-day IL and start Friday’s 6:40 p.m. start against the Los Angeles Angels at Target Field.

López hasn’t pitched since leaving an April 8 loss early after feeling tightness in his right hamstring. The Twins’ Opening Day starter the past three seasons, López is 1-1 with a 1.62 earned-run average and 14 strikeouts.

To make room, the Twins optioned David Festa back to St. Paul. The right-hander started Wednesday night’s 6-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox, giving up two earned runs on four hits and three walks in four innings.

Briefly

Royce Lewis will begin a rehab assignment with St. Paul on Friday. He strained a hamstring trying to leg out a single in spring training and has been sidelined since. “He’s going to have to go out and play, get to the point where he’s played at least a couple of games, full nine-inning games, over at third base before he’s ready to go,” manager Rocco Baldelli said.