CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies are trying to find a new home for outfielder Nick Castellanos ahead of their first full-squad workout of spring training.
Castellanos was benched late last season after he made what Phillies manager Rob Thomson described as “ an inappropriate comment ” after he was pulled for a defensive replacement. Castellanos said in September that communication with Thomson had been “ questionable, at least in my experience.”
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the team has been talking to other clubs about Castellanos.
“That’s our focus prior to the start of spring training,” Dombrowski said Monday. “So that’s something that we’ll continue to work on this week.”
Castellanos, who turns 34 on March 4, hit .250 with 17 homers and 72 RBIs in 147 games for the NL East champions last year. He is going into the final season of a $100 million, five-year contract.
Adolis García is expected to replace Castellanos in right field after he signed a $10 million, one-year contract with Philadelphia in December.
The Phillies' pitchers and catchers are slated to have their first spring training workout on Wednesday. The team’s first full-squad workout is scheduled for next Monday.
Asked whether Castellanos will be in camp if he isn't traded or released by the time position players are scheduled to report, Dombrowski responded: “Well, at this point, we’re doing everything we can to make a move by that time period. So I’ll leave it at that right now.”
Phillies ace Zack Wheeler is on his way back in his recovery from surgery and complications from a blood clot. Thomson said Wheeler has been throwing from 90 feet.
“He's doing well,” Thomson said. “I don't think he'll be ready for opening day, but it's not going to be too far behind that.”
With Wheeler continuing his rehab, Andrew Painter has an enhanced opportunity to earn a spot in the team's rotation at the start of the season. The 22-year-old right-hander, one of Philadelphia's top prospects, went 5-8 with a 5.26 ERA in 26 starts in the minors last year in his return from Tommy John surgery in July 2023.
“I saw him today for the first time. He looks in really good shape,” Dombrowski said.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Exclusive film screening in San Mateo Read moreA LITTLE FELLOW: THE LEGACY OF A.P.GIANNINI
Dirk van Ulden said:
Yosemite Says said:
Your first premise is fallacious because it's given as a universal without evidence. The second is fallacious because it is known to be untrue.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.