About a month ago, the Philadelphia Phillies’ $100 million veteran found himself abruptly benched. “He made an inappropriate comment after he came out, and so today, he’s not going to play. And I’m going to leave it at that,” said manager Rob Thomson without pressing much on the details. It was Nick Castellanos.
The Phillies’ way of handling Castellanos has all the signs of a brewing fallout. He isn’t somebody who is used to sitting out, and now once again, he will be!
During Friday’s game against the New York Yankees, Castellanos jammed his left knee on the final play when he was jogging back towards the right field wall. According to manager Rob Thomson, the slugger is a bit “sore,” and so, the team is keeping him out of the lineup. MLB insider Tim Kelly noted on X, “Nick Castellanos jammed his left knee going back to the wall on the last play of the game last night. He’ll be reevaluated tomorrow, per Rob Thomson.”
But if anything, this latest update only adds weight to the already growing uncertainty around Castellanos role with the Phillies. He is currently hitting .270 with 13 home runs and 56 RBIs this season. The Phillies’ outfield isn’t exactly the strength of the team. Yet, Castellanos impressive 103 OPS+ and 105 wRC+ prove he’s above average.
Nick Castellanos jammed his left knee going back to the wall on the last play of the game last night. He’ll be reevaluated tomorrow, per Rob Thomson.
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) July 26, 2025
With Castellanos’ absence in the lineup, Max Kepler will be taking over the right field, while Brandon Marsh will take over the left and Johan Rojas at the center. It might be Castellanos’ knee keeping him out; however, the timing of it all raises speculations about what’s really happening in Philadelphia.
It can’t be ignored that the trade deadline is also inching closer than ever. As per Jon Heyman, it’s highly likely that Castellanos will be in the trade market and the Kansas City Royals will be the first to call dibs. And why not? he’s having a solid year otherwise.
Castellanos is the crucial piece of the Phillies’ offense
Castellanos is the key part of the Phillies’ offense. Even in Friday’s win over the struggling Bronx bombers, he notched two hits and drove in a run. Even if he is briefly out, the Phillies will miss his versatility big time.
Across the past five years, Castellanos has posted at least 100 RBIs in two seasons. Those two seasons were one each with the Cincinnati Reds and the Phillies.
And now, as for what many analysts predict, his time with the Phillies is coming to an end. It won’t be smart for the Phillies to actually let go of the versatile veteran. They are already facing outfield issues and trading their best hitter in such a scenario isn’t advisable.
The Phillies are searching for a bullpen arm or two; for the same reason, it is possible that they will trade Castellanos to fill those gaps. The 33-year-old has one year left on his contract and many a time, he has been under the trade talks but it has never materialized.
The only downside with the Castellanos is the fact that he has a -11 fielding run value, which happens to be the worst in the majors. Do you think the Phillies will trade him after all?
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