Phillies' Rob Thomson Sends Message on Nick Castellanos Demotion

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gavin Groe | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 3:37 PM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies are looking to claim back-to-back division titles, entering Thursday with a 5.5-game lead over the second-place New York Mets.

With the Phillies set for another trip to the postseason, manager Rob Thomson has been faced with difficult roster decisions to ensure the team puts out the best possible product for success.

After acquiring Harrison Bader at the trade deadline from the Minnesota Twins, the outfield has begun to look crowded with Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh and Max Kepler all in the mix.

Notably, Castellanos has begun to lose playing time due to Bader’s addition, despite being Philadelphia’s everyday right fielder for the past three seasons, including 2025 (157 games in 2023 and 162 games in 2024).

Rob Thomson Addresses Nick Castellanos Demotion

Ahead of Thursday’s series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers, Castellanos was absent from the lineup for the second time in three days, with the left-handed Kepler starting in right field against Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta.

Thomson addressed the decision pregame, confirming Castellanos’ shift to a platoon-type role rather than playing every day.

“It looks that way. 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,” Thomson said via MLB’s Paul Casella.

Nick Castellanos isn't starting for 2nd time in 3 games. Fair to say RF is a full-on platoon?

Rob Thomson: “It looks that way. 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."
— Paul Casella (@Paul_CasellaMLB) September 4, 2025

This isn’t a new development, but Thomson has reiterated that despite Castellanos’ strong tenure with the Phillies, he will remain focused on putting the best players on the field.

Castellanos has acknowledged how frustrating it’s been to not play every day. His demotion stems from Bader’s emergence as the everyday center fielder, combined with Castellanos’ struggles at the plate and defensive liabilities.

In 36 games over the second half of the season, Castellanos is batting just .199 with a .562 OPS, just seven extra-base hits and 35 strikeouts.

Defensively, he’s graded out as one of the worst outfielders in MLB, with Statcast placing him at -12 Outs Above Average.

Castellanos is clearly displeased with the reduced role, but the numbers suggest he’s fortunate to remain in the lineup at all with such meaningful games ahead.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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