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Padres' Nick Castellanos: Another start against righty
Rotowire
Castellanos will start at designated hitter and bat eighth in Monday's contest versus the Giants.
After yielding to Miguel Andujar at DH against lefties in the first two games of the season, Castellanos is now making a second straight start versus a righty. While Castellanos seems to have the early edge over Andujar in terms of playing time against right-handed pitching, there probably isn't a cemented hierarchy just yet. Gavin Sheets and Ty France are also vying for playing time in a crowded first base/DH situation for San Diego.
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Padres' Nick Castellanos: Not starting versus lefty
Rotowire
Castellanos is absent from the lineup in Thursday's opener versus the Tigers.
Left-hander Tarik Skubal is on the bump for the Tigers, but the right-handed-hitting Castellanos will yield to lefty Gavin Sheets at first base and righty Miguel Andujar at designated hitter. It's an indication that the former Phillies castoff's playing time will be sporadic in San Diego.
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Padres' Nick Castellanos: Adjusting to first base
Rotowire
Castellanos has made seven appearances (including six starts) at first base this spring and has made only one error in 41 chances, Perla Paredes of MLB.com reports.
Castellanos has never played first base during a regular-season MLB game, but San Diego is asking the veteran outfielder to learn the position in order to increase the team's positional flexibility. The 34-year-old has embraced the opportunity, saying, "Learning a new position is always fun," and adding, "I'm approaching it with a lot of enthusiasm and joy." Castellanos isn't expected to have an everyday spot in the Padres' lineup, but if his learning of first base goes well, he could see a decent amount of playing time, especially against left-handed pitchers. In terms of hitting, Castellanos has done fine in exhibition play, slashing .235/.350/.382 with one home run, two doubles, six runs, six RBI and a 5:5 BB:K.
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Padres' Nick Castellanos: Lands in San Diego
Rotowire
Castellanos signed a one-year, $780,000 contract with the Padres on Saturday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Castellanos will receive the league minimum from the Padres while the Phillies pay him the remainder of the $20 million he's owed this season. The 33-year-old has spent time this offseason working out at first base, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com, and he is expected to see time there with the Padres while also bouncing around between the outfield and DH.
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Nick Castellanos: Parts ways with Phillies
Rotowire
The Phillies released Castellanos on Thursday.
After attempting and failing to unload Castellanos and his $20 million price tag during the offseason, the Phillies will now cut their losses and release him into free agency. The 33-year-old outfielder took another step back last year, as he slashed .250/.294/.400 with 17 homers, 72 RBI and 72 runs scored across 589 regular-season plate appearances. Despite his regression, the two-time All-Star figures to receive plenty of interest in the open market now that teams will be able to bring him in at a much lower price.
Phillies' Nick Castellanos: Requested not to report to camp
Rotowire
The Phillies requested Castellanos not to report to spring training this week as the club ramps up efforts to trade him, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Philadelphia has been looking to trade the 33-year-old outfielder all offseason, but his $20 million salary for 2026 -- which is the final year of his contract -- plus his poor defense and .694 OPS during the regular season last year have made that difficult. According to Gelb, the Phillies could release Castellanos if a trade is unable to be reached by the end of the week. Adolis Garcia is poised to take over in right field for Philadelphia after signing a one-year, $10 million contract in December.
Phillies' Nick Castellanos: Willing to play first base
Rotowire
Castellanos said Friday that he would "really welcome" playing first base if asked, MLB Network reports.
Castellanos has never played first base before and has been a full-time right fielder since 2018. However, he came up through the minors as a third baseman and that was his primary position through his first five seasons in the big leagues, so he's not foreign to the infield. Castellanos is set to make $20 million in 2026 in his final year under contract with the Phillies, but the expectation is he will be either traded or released by Philadelphia this offseason.
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Phillies' Nick Castellanos: Delivers big hit in loss
Rotowire
Castellanos went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Dodgers on Thursday.
Castellanos started each of the final three games and went 2-for-15 with five strikeouts in the series. Despite the poor overall numbers, he delivered a key knock in Thursday's loss by doubling in the seventh inning to give the Phillies a lead. Castellanos is entering the final year of his current contract, but he could be a trade candidate or otherwise have a change of scenery this offseason after managing only a 90 wRC+ across 589 plate appearances in 2025.
Castellanos isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Dodgers, Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic reports.
After slashing .250/.281/.385 across 57 plate appearances in the final month of the regular season, Castellanos will retreat to the bench for the first game of the Phillies' postseason run. Max Kepler will start in right field and bat seventh.
Phillies' Nick Castellanos: Productive off bench Friday
Rotowire
Castellanos went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in Friday's 8-2 win over the Diamondbacks.
The homer was Castellanos' first in over a month -- his last homer was Aug. 17 versus the Nationals. The outfielder has gone 17-for-64 (.266) over his last 20 games while occupying a short-side platoon role for much of that time. He's now at 17 homers, 69 RBI, 71 runs scored, four stolen bases and a .255/.299/.411 slash line across 140 contests.
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Phillies' Nick Castellanos: Falling into short-side platoon
Rotowire
Castellanos is not in the lineup for Friday's game in Miami.
Castellanos has now been absent from the lineup each of the last three times the Phillies have faced a right-handed batter, as he appears to have fallen into a short-side platoon. He's slashing only .199/.253/.309 since the All-Star break. Max Kepler will start in right field and bat seventh for Friday's series opener.
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