Phillies Make Nick Castellanos Decision Before Nationals Game

Phillies Bench Nick Castellanos and His .137 August Batting Average

On Saturday, the Phillies took Castellanos out of their starting lineup. The righty has just one hit in his last nine games. He's struck out seven times in that span.

With six strikeouts in his last four games, the Phillies had no choice but to switch things up. Max Kepler has primarily played in left field, but he'll shift to right to fill the void of Castellanos. He's not completely inexperienced at the position, but he's seen 246 more at-bats from the left side of the outfield.

The rest of the Phillies outfield sees Brandon Marsh in left field while Harrison Bader occupies center. Marsh has seen most of his playing time come in center field while Bader tends to be in left.

Regardless, Castellanos has been trending in the wrong direction for quite some time. He hit just .207 in July, a sharp decline from the .276 he hit in June. The 12-year veteran hit .265 in April before seeing his best month in May when his average sat at .300.

Something that has always stood out about Castellanos is his BB%. The Phillies outfielder has never seen his walk percentage in double digits. This season, it's at a career low. The 4.7% of walks he's drawn puts him in the bottom 6% of MLB.

With 15 strikeouts to no walks in August, it's no wonder why his OPS dropped from .741 to .694. He entered the month with a .309 OBP, a number that has fallen to .290. This isn't the first time the veteran has slumped in his career as the Phillies are looking to get him back on track with October nearing and the team having World Series aspirations.