Castellanos is settling into role with Padres -- and proves it with clutch HR

SAN DIEGO -- Nick Castellanos spent a dozen years in the big leagues as an everyday player. When he signed with the Padres in February, he was essentially taking a new job entirely.

That job would look something like this: Castellanos was no longer going to start every day. But the Padres might need him to come off the bench and offer quality at-bats late in games. They might need him to add some pop to an offense that spent the winter in search of power. They might need him to offer the steady presence of a veteran who has delivered in big moments before.

Really, they needed him for a moment like this one.

Down to his final strike, Castellanos delivered his biggest swing as a Padre on Sunday -- a game-tying two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning, setting up Manny Machado’s walk-off sacrifice fly and a wild 3-2 victory over the Cardinals at Petco Park.

“In big moments, the more you think, the faster that moment’s going to pass you by,” Castellanos said afterward. “You just take a breath. And stay in there.”

Castellanos has done precisely that. He stayed in there. Even after a rough start to his Padres tenure. He batted just .164 with a .493 OPS through the end of April. Of course, there was always going to be a learning curve. That’s usually how it goes at a new job.

“I’m just getting used to it,” Castellanos said. “And I’m more familiar now than I was in the beginning.”

That familiarity is showing. Castellanos is hitting .278 in May with a .763 OPS. He’s also starting to play himself into a more defined role. It’s not the role he had in Philadelphia. Or Cincinnati, or Chicago or Detroit. But it’s a role his team needs.

Through 40 games, the Padres are 24-16, tied for the top spot in the NL West. Their superstars are mostly struggling. On offense, their biggest strength has been the versatility of their bench.

“We have a deep roster,” said manager Craig Stammen. “One through 13 on the position player side, we feel really good about that.”

Nonetheless, it took Castellanos some time to learn where, exactly, he fits. The Padres want him starting against most lefties -- which is part of the reason they’re comfortable moving Fernando Tatis Jr. to second base occasionally. And they want him pinch-hitting late. On Sunday, Castellanos came off the bench in the seventh, stinging a lineout to left, before returning to the plate in the ninth.

“We’re putting him in specific roles to help us win games,” said Stammen. “I think that’s when he started embracing it a little bit too. Credit goes to him.”

Castellanos said the trickiest part has been establishing a rhythm -- when he’s spent the past 12 years with more or less the same day-to-day routine.

“Being able to do this -- and know that there’s guys that have made careers doing this -- I have a lot of respect for those individuals,” Castellanos said. “It’s not easy.”

Of course, Castellanos assumed this role only out of necessity. After a messy split in Philadelphia -- and a poor 2025 season at the plate -- there weren’t any everyday roles available for him on the free-agent market.

“First time in his career he’s had to do something like that,” Machado said. “To be able to go out there and have at-bats like that against tough pitchers, late in the game, and have really good at-bats, it’s impressive to see.

“Obviously, it’s new, so there’s a nice little learning curve. But he’s getting the hang of his new role.”

Stammen cited extensive conversations between Castellanos and the Padres’ coaching staff about the intricacies of his role. He also alluded to one of those conversations being an assurance to Castellanos about his roster spot.

It was fair to wonder about that, too, given Castellanos’ early-season struggles. Perhaps a vote of confidence did him some good.

In any case, Castellanos strode to the plate in the ninth inning, with the Padres staring down their second shutout loss of the weekend. He started the at-bat by swinging for the fences, then fell behind, 0-2.

So he made an adjustment. Castellanos fouled off three pitches. He broke his bat on one of them, and returned from the dugout with Tatis’ bat. (Evidently, that bat has a homer or two in it after all.)

After Castellanos worked the count full, Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien left a sinker over the inner half. In Castellanos’ sweet spot. He sent it into the left-field seats -- waking up a cold Padres offense and sending Petco Park into a frenzy.

Off the bench. Not the role he’s used to. But a role he’s learning. And just what the Padres need.