Phillies release Nick Castellanos despite $20 million owed amid reported camp absence controversy

A Philadelphia Phillies instrumentality favourite has been released earlier outpouring grooming gets underway. 

Veteran MLB outfielder Nick Castellano volition person to find a caller location earlier the commencement of the 2026 play aft the squad announced his merchandise connected Thursday.

The quality comes aft a study from The Athletic revealed "there is nary locker successful the clubhouse" for Castellanos, adding helium has been told "not to study to the team’s analyzable this week."

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Philadelphia Phillies' Nick Castellanos hits an RBI azygous successful the 3rd inning of a shot crippled against the Cincinnati Reds, Friday, July 4, 2025, successful Philadelphia.  (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)

The reason? The Phillies are looking to get retired of Castellanos’ $20 cardinal contract, and helium was expected to either beryllium traded oregon released soon.

The penning has been connected the partition regarding this narration betwixt Castellanos and the Phillies, arsenic helium was reportedly going to beryllium connected a caller squad travel the commencement of the 2026 play backmost successful October erstwhile they mislaid to the Los Angeles Dodgers successful the NLDS.

Then, that study became much factual erstwhile the Phillies signed Adolis Garcia aft re-signing different instrumentality favorite, Kyle Schwarber, during escaped agency.

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Castellanos, who turns 34 adjacent month, struggled astatine the crockery past season. He slashed .250/.294/.400 with a .694 OPS successful 147 games for Philadelphia past season. He had 17 homers and 72 RBI arsenic well.

Castellanos’ .250 batting mean is the lowest full-season people of his career.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) reacts aft hitting a location tally during the 5th inning against the San Francisco Giants astatine Citizens Bank Park.  (Eric Hartline-Imagn Images)

His $20 cardinal terms tag doesn’t lucifer what the Phillies privation connected the books for 2026, and thus, his clip successful the metropolis appears to beryllium over.

Castellanos has spent the past 4 seasons with the Phillies aft signing a five-year, $100 cardinal woody aft his 2021 All-Star run with the Cincinnati Reds.

Castellanos collected his 2nd All-Star quality successful 2023 erstwhile helium deed 29 homers and 106 RBI implicit 157 games for the Phillies.

He spent the archetypal 7 seasons of his vocation with the Detroit Tigers, making his debut successful 2013 astatine 21 years old. He became a regular aft that play earlier a 2019 commercialized sent him to Cincinnati earlier the MLB deadline.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) during the 4th inning against the Colorado Rockies astatine Coors Field connected May 21, 2025, successful Denver, Colorado.  (Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images)

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Now, it appears Castellanos volition person to find his 5th location successful MLB with the Phillies expected to marque a determination soon.

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