Phillies' Nick Castellanos on 'thin ice' heading into postseason

Jon Conahan

Phillies' Nick Castellanos on 'thin ice' heading into postseason image

The Philadelphia Phillies landed Nick Castellanos a few years ago in the hope of him swinging the bat at the level he has for much of his career. At times, Castellanos has been a great offensive player, but his defensive struggles and offensive issues have also caused some problems. 

Some are starting to get frustrated with the way he's playing, while others believe it's time for the Phillies to move on from him. 

Edward Eng of FanSided was the latest to suggest so, noting that Castellanos is on thin ice over the final month of the regular season.

Phillies' Nick Castellanos under fire

With the Phillies having to figure things out with their playoff roster, Castellanos needs to improve unless he wants to be kept off of it. 

“For someone who had been a mainstay in the Phillies’ lineup over the past few seasons, including appearing in all 162 games in 2024, things appear to be on the verge of a drastic change for former All-Star outfielder Nick Castellanos. After a strong first half of the 2025 season, things have fallen apart offensively since the turn of the month in August...

“Manager Rob Thomson openly rectified the problem, but with the way that Castellanos has been producing with the bat recently, it won’t be surprising if playing time in the field isn’t the only thing that he may be losing. In the weeks ahead, things could start to get messy if he ends up getting more unexpected extra rest at the plate as well,” Eng wrote.

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It'd be shocking to see Castellanos not at least make the postseason roster, but crazier things have happened in Major League Baseball. 

There's a much better chance of the Phillies just cut ties with him in the offseason, but who knows what the team has in mind?

Jon Conahan

Jon Conahan is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. A 2022 Penn State University graduate who majored in journalism, he was also a member of the school's D1 baseball team. His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Heavy and other outlets. Jon makes home in North Jersey, but also resides in Cape Coral, Florida, for parts of the year. He’s an avid fan of the New York Yankees, Miami Dolphins and Milwaukee Bucks.