"Nick Castellanos can be upset about it" - Ex-Phillies GM defends Rob Thomson's major decision on $100,000,000 All-Star

Since joining the Philadelphia Phillies as a free agent in 2022, signing a five-year, $100 million contract, outfielder Nick Castellanos has established himself as a regular starter for the NL East side.

Seen as one of manager Rob Thomson's most trusted players, Castellanos played all 162 games of the regular season in 2024. However, the veteran has seemingly fallen out of favor of late.

As we head into the most important phase of the season, Thomson has experimented with an outfield consisting of Brandon Marsh, Harrison Bader and Max Kepler, which has proven relatively solid so far. This leaves no room for Castellanos to start, and this situation has reportedly left the veteran quite dissatisfied.

Featuring on Monday's episode of "The Phillies Show", former Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. defended Rob Thomson's decision. Although such a call may rub Nick Castellanos the wrong way, Amaro Jr. reiterated that the team's success came above all else at this stage of the season.

"It's a team sport, and it's about the team, period, end of story. You put the best players out there on the defensive side of the ball. It's what you do, and the manager runs the show. It's something that I think was adressed with Castellanos a couple months ago, that this is something that's going to start happening. The manager made the right move.

"I get it, he (Castellanos) has worked hard at his craft. He just doesn't have the same foot speed, or overall ability, to flag down a tough flyball, as Max Kepler does, and you have to have your best defense out there when you're trying to guard for a win. Especially here in September, where every single game means something. Nick Castellanos can be upset about it, but the reality of it is, this is the right thing to do, and it's best for the team," Ruben Amaro Jr. said [29:30]

---

Phillies skipper Rob Thomson empathizes with Nick Castellanos' frustrations

Speaking to insider Sean Kane of NBC Sports Philadelphia on Aug. 30, Rob Thomson empathized with Nick Castellanos' feelings of frustration.

"Nick just wants to play,” Thomson said. “That’s it. I think most guys get frustrated when they don’t play. Because they want to play. And that’s normal. We don’t need to make a big deal out of this. He’s frustrated because he wants to play and that’s it. I understand that. I wouldn’t respect a guy if he wanted to come out of the game.”

Atlanta Braves v Philadelphia Phillies - Source: Getty

Thomson's change appears to be paying dividends, as the Phillies continue to cruise towards their second consecutive NL East title with the finish line now in sight.