One day after watching his 233-game starting streak end, Nick Castellanos returns to the lineup on Wednesday evening as the Philadelphia Phillies continue their away series against the Miami Marlins.
Suboptimal defense and frank statements
Castellanos, 33, was benched Tuesday night following a comment he made to manager Rob Thomson Monday night. The right fielder was replaced in the bottom of the eighth inning for Johan Rojas in a defensive substitution. Castellanos was none too pleased by his removal from the game and made that displeasure known to Thomson. While the exact words and weight of what was said have remained private, Thomson deemed the comment out of line.
Nick Castellanos
And so, for the first time since 2023, Castellanos found himself watching his team exclusively from the dugout on Tuesday evening. Castellanos is batting .278 on the season and had just hit a grand slam on Sunday to help secure a series sweep against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Typically a presence in the heart of the Phillies’ order, Castellanos was left to watch helplessly as the Phillies dropped their contest against the Marlins 8-3 on Tuesday evening.
Castellanos takes pride in playing every inning of every game. It is no surprise then that he was displeased in being removed as a defensive substitution. His removal from the game does make sense for the Phillies, however, as Castellanos currently has the sixth-worst defensive runs saved in the league at -10. Brandon Marsh is not too far behind at -9.
Max Kepler made the start in right field for the Phillies Tuesday evening. Ironically, in the bottom of the sixth, Kepler dropped a line drive from Xavier Edwards on a sliding play, allowing a run to score. Correctly ruled a single, Edwards’ line drive had a .650 expected batting average. The play, however, felt like the type of catch Castellanos, who has a proclivity for sliding catches, would have made.
Starting over and moving on
Castellanos will return to the lineup on Wednesday, but not without losing a very long consecutive start streak. The last time the Phillies suited up without Castellanos in the lineup was game one of a doubleheader against the New York Mets on September 30, 2023. The Phillies dropped that contest, previously rescheduled due to a rainout, 4-3.
Castellanos’ 236-game streak was the longest in a Phillies’ uniform since Pete Rose’s 350-game streak from 1980-1983.
Should Castellanos not miss another start for the entirety of his contract, Castellanos could regain a 251-game streak before he is set for free agency at the end of 2026. Given Castellanos’ defensive struggles and general wear and tear on a player, however, that seems unlikely to happen.
Regardless, this mini episode between Castellanos and Thomson appears to have reached it’s conclusion as Castellanos is in the lineup on Wednesday against Marlins’ pitcher Adam Mazur.
The Phillies’ full lineup for Wednesday evening is as follows:
- Trea Turner | SS
- Kyle Schwarber | DH
- Alec Bohm | 1B
- Nick Castellanos | RF
- Max Kepler | LF
- JT Realmuto | C
- Bryson Stott | 2B
- Edmundo Sosa | 3B
- Brandon Marsh CF
Ranger Suárez is set to pitch in the 6:40 p.m. start.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
