Nick Castellanos is out of the Phillies after bringing beer to the dugout

CLEARWATER, Florida. — The Philadelphia Phillies decided to release outfielder Nick Castellanos, ending a relationship that was already deteriorating and that had as a critical point the incident that occurred last June in Miami, when the player took a beer to the dugout after being substituted in the middle of the game.

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The organization formalized the departure of the player, who still has US$20 million pending to collect this season, an amount that the club will assume despite his detachment. The president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, explained that both parties needed “a change of environment”. The episode occurred on June 16 at loanDepot Park, when manager Rob Thomson replaced Castellanos for defensive reasons in the eighth inning of a game against the Marlins. After the decision, the player took a beer to the dugout and had a tense exchange with the coaching staff, questioning the criteria used to remove him from the game. In a letter subsequently published on social media, Castellanos acknowledged that his emotions got the better of him and offered apologies for his behavior. However, the relationship between the player and the organization was already affected by differences over his role in the lineup and internal communication. During the past season, Castellanos was progressively relegated, even playing a platoon role in right field. The team tried to trade him in the last markets, but without success. In 2025, the veteran batted .250 with 17 home runs and 72 RBIs. In four seasons with the Phillies, he left a .260 average and a .732 OPS, in addition to postseason highlights and an All-Star selection in 2023. Management signed Cuban Adolis García to a one-year contract for US$10 million to fill the void in the outfield. With the start of training just around the corner, the franchise chose to close the chapter and move forward. “At some point you have to recognize it’s not going to work,” Dombrowski said. “Nick did a lot of good things for us, but it was time to move on.” Castellanos concluded his message by assuring that he loves the game and that he will learn from the experience.