Nick Castellanos From becoming a Philadelphian’s daily right-fielder to Maximum Keplerreflecting how the two players delivered huge numbers in 2025. Given his long history with the team and growing regular roster records, the change is a bit shocking for Castellanos, and it is clear that veterans are not happy with the performance of things.
After defeating the Rattlers 8-2 yesterday, talking to Philadelphia Inquirer Scott Lauber and other media outlets, he stressed that he was “Do everything here to ensure Philadelphia wins the World Series ring,“And any conversation he was not satisfied with”Can create narratives. “But he also expressed some sad feelings about manager Rob Thomson and asked “Who said it?When a reporter pointed out, Thomson was praised by several players for being straightforward.
“Communication has been doubtful for years, at least in my experience. Sometimes things have been said, and then, over the years, I have expectations because I will grab what is said and then the actions will be different. ” Castellanos says. “And then I’m just thinking and so on. But, again, it’s it. Adapt to it, do my best. At the end of the day, it’s all I can.. ”
Although Castellanos’ comments indicate a lasting issue, the relationship between the player and the manager caught public attention on June 17, when Castellanos was substituted for the Phillies’ 8-3-3 loss to the Marlins. The night before, Thomson said Castellanos did “improper“The comment was after being removed for defensive purposes, and the outfielder was eliminated as punishment. The missing June 17 game won a personal streak of 236 straight Castellanos games.
As for how the two communicate recently, Castellanos (perhaps yes) quoted playing time and said “I don’t really talk to Rob very often. Whenever he told me to play, I would play, and then whenever he told me to sit down. ”
The dispute between the player and the manager is as old as the baseball itself, so while Castellanos’ candidacy about the situation is newsworthy, it may not cause any short-term problems within the Phillies’ clubhouse. Despite Castellanos’ dissatisfaction, the numbers also indicate that the row works – Kepler hit .263/.373/.500 in 51 set appearances since early September, and Castellanos hit .323/.353/.548 in 34 pa.
Even with the recent hot streak, Castellanos still managed only 94 WRC+ with an overall slash line of .255/.299/.411 (with 17 home runs) over 566 PA. Between his secondary offense and bland defense, Castellanos has a -0.4 FWAR this season, his second veteran performance in four years in Philadelphia.
All in all, Castellanos produced 1.0 FWAR and just averaged 100 WRC+ in his four seasons with the Phillies. This is not what the team expected when signing Slugger for five years, 100mm free agent trade, and the last 20mm of that contract still owes Castellanos in the 2026 season. While this isn’t an unimportant payment for the team, it’s fair to wonder if the Phillies will consider releasing Castellanos this winter only in the winter, and unless a deal can be resolved, it’s likely that Phils will still need to cover the remaining salary.
Currently, Castellanos is just focusing on the playoffs and refuses to consider his future with the Phillies. “Why should I do this in front of us? That was really selfish, getting rid of what we were trying to do as a group…I’m here to win. [Owner] John Middleton paid me money so I could help the Philadelphia Phillies win the World Series,” he said.
