More turmoil struck the Mets’ Latin America farm system Friday when 18-year-old pitcher Rafael Castro died in Venezuela of what the club said was an apparent heart attack.

Castro, a native of Colombia, had recently completed his second season for the Mets’ Venezuelan summer-league team. His death follows the suspension by Major League Baseball this year of at least two players in the Mets’ Latin America program for testing positive for the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

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Yusei Kikuchi, the 18-year-old Japanese pitching phenom being pursued heavily by the Mets and seven other major-league teams, announced yesterday he has decided to remain in his native country.

Kikuchi faced a Wednesday deadline to enter the Japanese baseball draft.

bhubbuch@nypost.com