Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos was removed for a defensive replacement late in Friday night’s 2-1 win over the Atlanta Braves, marking the first time since June 16 that manager Rob Thomson made such a move. The decision came with the Phillies holding a one-run lead going into the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park.
As the ballpark prepared for closer Jhoan Duran’s entrance, manager Rob Thomson notified the umpire of several defensive changes. Harrison Bader, who had not started, entered to play center field. Brandon Marsh shifted to left and Max Kepler moved to right field, replacing Castellanos after his at-bat in the eighth.
“He makes near the last out in the eighth inning,” Thomson explained, “so we put Bader in because he’s the best defender we’ve got.”
The substitution recalled an incident on June 16 when Castellanos was lifted for defense against Miami and responded with “inappropriate” comments toward Thomson. That led to him being benched and ended his streak of 236 consecutive starts.
Reflecting on this recent adjustment, Thomson said: “I think we’re all at the point now where we’re all-in. Whatever is best for the team to win a game that night, we’re all-in. Check your ego at the door and let’s go.”
Castellanos has also been left out of the starting lineup four times in the past 13 games as Kepler has seen more playing time.
Asked about adjusting to reduced playing time, Castellanos said: “It’s a big adjustment.” When questioned if it has been difficult, he replied: “Yes.” On how he deals with it, Castellanos added: “The best I can.”
Despite being replaced defensively, Castellanos made a significant play earlier in Friday’s game. In the fifth inning with runners on first and third and one out, he caught a fly ball from Marcell Ozuna and threw home for an inning-ending double play.
“He played well,” Thomson said. “He really did.”
When asked if being substituted after making such a play was frustrating, Castellanos answered: “Yes.”
Statistical data show challenges for Castellanos defensively this season. He entered Friday with -12 Outs Above Average (OAA), ranking last among 113 qualified outfielders according to Statcast data (https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/oaa). His jump was also -2.8 feet worse than average—85th out of 86 qualified players—and his -13 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) placed him among the bottom three outfielders (https://fieldingbible.com/DefensiveRunsSaved).
In contrast, Harrison Bader has excelled defensively; his 17 DRS are tied for third most among all outfielders this year (https://fieldingbible.com/DefensiveRunsSaved), and since 2018 he leads active outfielders with 75 OAA—22 more than any other player during that span.
“That situation hasn’t come up, to tell you the truth,” Thomson said regarding why similar moves had not happened since June 16.
With these changes becoming more frequent recently, questions remain about future late-game defensive substitutions involving Castellanos.
