Former Twins outfielders Max Kepler, Harrison Bader taking playing time from former All-Star Nick Castellanos with Phillies
Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos has started in just two of six games for Philadelphia this month. On Thursday, Phillies manager Rob Thompson told The Athletic's Charlotte Varnes that former Twins outfielder Max Kepler will see an uptick in playing time against righties, which leaves little playing time for Castellanos, as Brandon Marsh and another former Twin, Harrison Bader, are playing well enough to have regular roles in the outfield. Additionally, the Phillies have the designated hitter role locked down by National League MVP candidate Kyle Schwarber, making it even more challenging to work Castellanos into the lineup.
Castellanos, 33, will continue to hit against lefties and occasionally start against righties, but it's clear the Phillies are most confident in an outfield comprised of Bader, Kepler and Marsh. Since the All-Star break, Castellanos is hitting just .200/.253/.321 for a 57 wRC+ in 150 plate appearances. Meanwhile, Kepler has improved offensively recently after a rough start to the season, hitting .264/.316/.486 for a 117 wRC+ in 79 plate appearances since Aug. 1. Marsh has been on a tear since the beginning of last month as well, slashing .333/.376/.559 for a 156 wRC+ in 101 plate appearances, and Bader has arguably been one of the best trade deadline acquisitions of the summer, hitting .297/.374/.525 for a 148 wRC+ with eight homers in 179 plate appearances since becoming a Phillie on July 31.
Although Castellanos' numbers have been poor lately, the Phillies outfielder expressed his frustration with his lack of everyday playing time last week.
However, even with his frustration, Castellanos remains primarily focused on helping the Phillies reach the World Series, despite wishing for a more significant role on the team.
"I hate not being able to play as much as I want to play," Castellanos said to Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "But I can still be happy for these guys for being able to have success of their own. At the end of the day, it's a team goal, which is to win. Right? Philly would much rather us win a World Series than all of us have good individual years."