Phillies plan to platoon Nick Castellanos, according to Rob Thomson

Matt Sullivan

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Phillies plan to platoon Nick Castellanos, according to Rob Thomson image

One of the Philadelphia Phillies' biggest issues this season has been the outfield production. Brandon Marsh began the year poorly before hitting the injured list, while Max Kepler struggled to amount to much through the first half of the year.

Nick Castellanos, meanwhile, despite making $20 million this season, has struggled significantly in recent weeks and has seen his playing time diminish.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson, amid those struggles and dwindling playing time, was asked about whether Castellanos was in a platoon or not. Paul Casella of MLB.com shared Thomson's response, which all but confirmed the new right-field platoon with Castellanos.

Phillies to Platoon Castellanos in Right Field

While the Phillies have found success in left field and center field with Marsh and Harrison Bader, the team is still figuring out who is the best option in right field. When asked whether Castellanos was a part of a platoon in right field, Thomson provided a clear answer.

"It looks that way," Thomson said. "I mean, you can call it whatever you want, but at this point in the year, I'm gonna put out what I think is the best lineup on any given day to win."

This quote from Thomson confirms that the Phillies are going to continue to platoon Castellanos in right field with Kepler. Castellanos will start against left-handed pitching, while Kepler will get the starts against right-handers.

This season has not gone well for Castellanos in the field or at the plate. Earlier in the year, Thomson lifted Castellanos for a defensive replacement, much to the chagrin of Castellanos.

Baseball Savant grades Castellanos as the worst fielder in MLB by Fielding Run Value, making a defensive substitution far from abnormal. But it's no longer just poor defense; Castellanos has struggled offensively lately.

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This year, Castellanos is hitting .253 with a .699 OPS and an 89 OPS+, the worst mark of his MLB career. But his production since July has been a lot worse. He has a .200 batting average and a .563 OPS in 47 games played since the start of July.

Castellanos has a .702 OPS against left-handed pitching this season compared to his .698 OPS against right-handed pitching. It's not a major difference, but Kepler's splits (.695 OPS against right-handed pitching and .562 OPS against left-handed pitching) are the reason for the Phillies' new platoon in right field.

Since the beginning of August, Kepler has been significantly better than he was at to start of the year. He's hitting .263 with a .780 OPS in 17 games. He's also a significant improvement defensively over Castellanos, further making the platoon make sense.

With how poorly Castellanos has played this season, this platoon is not a surprise. But, with the $20 million invested into Castellanos in 2025 and 2026, it is noteworthy that Thomson has committed to a platoon this season.

The Phillies can win the NL East and potentially earn a first-round bye this season. The best way to do so is with Castellanos and Kepler in a platoon in right field. Thomson confirmed the suspicion that they're in a platoon and intends to continue with the platoon until further notice.

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Matt Sullivan

Matt Sullivan is a freelance writer for The Sporting News, predominantly covering MLB. Matt is a native of Pennsylvania and has worked with Athlon Sports, Last Word on Sports, and other outlets.