Phillies release Nick Castellanos, who addresses notable '25 benching
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CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Phillies on Thursday released outfielder Nick Castellanos.
The end was inevitable, but the Phillies wanted to see if they could find anybody to pay even a fraction of the $20 million that Castellanos is owed in 2026. They could not. So, with the Phillies holding their first full-squad workout on Thursday, they cut him loose.
Castellanos batted .250 with 17 home runs, 72 RBIs and a .694 OPS last season. But an act of gross insubordination on June 16 in Miami and a general lack of performance in the second half forced him into a platoon role.
On Thursday, Castellanos posted a note on Instagram that both thanked the Phillies and their fans and addressed the incident in Miami.
Castellanos wrote that, after being taken out of a close game, he brought a beer into the dugout. He then sat down next to manager Rob Thomson and took issue with the enforcement of team rules. He said his teammates took the beer out of his hands before he could drink any of it.
After the game, Castellanos said, he had a conversation with Thomson and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, where they aired out their differences and he apologized for his actions.
Castellanos explained that he was benched the following game as punishment.
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The Phillies had tried to trade Castellanos each of the previous two offseasons, but they found no takers. Castellanos’ 2025 performance, on and off the field, guaranteed he would not return.