Right field has become a bit of an issue for the Philadelphia Phillies over the last month.
Usual every day right fielder Nick Castellanos has been on the struggle bus and that may have finally reached a boiling point.
Castellanos was left out of Thursday’s lineup for the second time in three days and according to manager Rob Thomson, it sounds like right field is now a full-time platoon situation.
“It looks that way,” Thomson responded when asked if it was a full-time platoon situation via a post on X from MLB.com reporter Paul Casella. “I mean, you can call it whatever you want, but at this point in the year, I’m gonna put out what I think is the best lineup on any given day to win.”
Thomson’s comments come on the heels of what has been the worst stretch of the season for Castellanos. He has a slash line of .165/.233/.228 over his last 30 games and just two home runs since August.
He did collect two hits on Wednesday against the left-handed Jose Quintana, but was left out of Thursday’s lineup that faced right-hander Freddy Peralta. It is the first time all season long that Castellanos has appeared in less than two games of a series.
The one saving grace for Castellanos may be that he was productive during Philadelphia’s short playoff run last season. He boasted a .412 average along with a homer and a 1.059 OPS. In 2023, Castellanos homered five times in 13 games and posted an .844 OPS.
among 316 players in MLB history with 60+ PAs in a single postseason, Nick Castellanos’ .478 OPS last October ranked 304ththis October, Nick Castellanos became the 2nd player in MLB postseason history with 5 HR over a 3-game span, joining Reggie Jackson pic.twitter.com/wk07q0sgUL
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) October 17, 2023
If Castellanos is not able to work through his slump and truly becomes a liability, the Phillies may look to dump the remaining $20 million he is owed on another team in the offseason.
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