San Diego Padres right fielder Nick Castellanos (21) Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Padres end Nick Castellanos experiment

By Zachary Cariola | Last updated Jun 3, 2026 3:38 PM ET

Sometimes irony can be cruel, and in the case of outfielder Nick Castellanos, it wasn't too kind to him on Wednesday.

According to a team announcement, the San Diego Padres have designated the 34-year-old for assignment and have selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Samad Taylor from Triple-A El Paso to replace him.

Castellanos had been a disaster of a signing for the Padres, who took a chance on the two-time All-Star when he was released by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Ironically, Castellanos's designation for assignment comes while the Friars play his former club, and he had a video tribute played for him on Tuesday in his return to Philadelphia. The former Silver Slugger (2021) did not appear in Tuesday's game.

We have designated 1B/OF Nick Castellanos for assignment and selected the contract of INF/OF Samad Taylor from Triple-A El Paso. Taylor will wear No. 0.
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 3, 2026

In 39 games with the Padres, Castellanos batted below the Mendoza line of .200 (.191), with a .560 OPS, .221 on-base percentage, .339 slugging percentage and hitting four home runs. Castellanos also proved to be a liability in the field.

The Padres are getting a better player in Taylor, who was batting .319 with a .906 OPS and nine stolen bases (caught once) in El Paso. Taylor has seen parts of three seasons in the big leagues with the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners.

The Phillies are in the same boat as the Padres for right field

The Phillies are still on the hook to pay Castellanos's $20 million salary, whereas the Padres signed him to the league minimum. And to make matters worse for them, Castellanos's replacement, Adolis Garcia, has not performed any better. The Phillies have $30 million in dead money sitting in right field (Garcia is making $10 million).

Garcia has proven to be the same player as Castellanos, slashing .193/.275/.297 with a .572 OPS and four home runs, but provided better defensive — Castellanos posted a -24 DRS in 19 games in right field, while Garcia was 12 times better (-2). Given Garcia's production, he may not be far behind Castellanos on the DFA train.

Zachary Cariola

My name is Zachary Cariola and I have been a sports fan for as long as I can remember. My areas of expertise are MLB, NBA, and NFL. When I’m not writing, I love spending time with my family and learning history.

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