Nick Castellanos, the Philadelphia Phillies right fielder, was absent from the starting lineup on Tuesday for the first time since September 2023. The decision followed comments he made towards manager Rob Thomson after being replaced defensively in Monday’s game against the Miami Marlins. The Phillies lost to the Marlins 8-3.
Castellanos’ benching ended his streak of 236 consecutive games started, which was second only to Matt Olson of the Braves, who has a streak of 405 games. This also marked an end to Castellanos’ streak of consecutive games played, where he ranked third behind Olson and Pete Alonso of the Mets.
Before Tuesday’s game, Castellanos expressed dissatisfaction with his substitution during Monday’s match. “I wasn’t happy about it,” he said. “Spoke my mind. He said I crossed a line. So my punishment is I’m not playing.” He added that it was Thomson’s decision as manager.
Thomson explained that his decision to substitute Castellanos was strategic and not personal. It aimed at strengthening Philly’s defense by bringing in Johan Rojas, known for his defensive skills, as Miami scored during that inning.
Castellanos has struggled defensively this season with minus-10 defensive runs saved and a minus-seven plus/minus runs saved above average.
Thomson discussed his reasoning with Castellanos after Monday’s game and reached an understanding with him regarding the situation. Thomson appreciates Castellanos’ passion for playing every inning despite this incident: “One of the things that I love about Nick is that he’s very emotional,” said Thomson.
