The Philadelphia Phillies' lineup for Tuesday's game against the Miami Marlins looks very different from what fans are used to seeing. And when we say different, we mean different. When the Phillies released their lineup, one notable name was absent from the starting nine: Nick Castellanos.
While the veteran right fielder's absence was startling at first, the reason that Phillies manager Rob Thomson didn't pencil the 33-year-old into the lineup is even more surprising. According to The Athletic's Charlotte Varnes, Thomson kept his usual right fielder out of the lineup for disciplinary reasons after Castellanos made an "inappropriate comment" after being pulled from Monday's game.
Nick Castellanos was withheld from today’s lineup for making an inappropriate comment after he was pulled from yesterday’s game, Rob Thomson said.
— Charlotte Varnes (@charlottevarnes) June 17, 2025
What did Nick Castellanos say to Rob Thomson to warrant being benched?
The Phillies replaced Castellanos in the bottom of the eighth inning of Monday's 5-2 win. Castellanos had gone 1-for-4 in the game, and nothing happened on the field that raised alarms.
The real question every Phillies fan will have now is: What did Nick Castellanos say to Rob Thomson after being pulled?
Unfortunately, we'll probably never know. The fourth-year Phillie offered his side of the story after the news came out Tuesday afternoon. According to Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Castellanos told the media: "I wasn't happy about it, spoke my mind. He said that I crossed a line. So my punishment is I'm not playing."
Nick Castellanos: “I wasn't happy about it, spoke my mind. He said that I crossed a line. So my punishment is I'm not playing.”
— Lochlahn March (@lochlahn) June 17, 2025
Castellanos, the Phillies' resident Iron Man, hadn't missed a game since September 2023. After playing all 162 games last season, Castellanos had started in 236 consecutive games for the Phillies before Tuesday's shocking news. The benching comes just two days after Castellanos celebrated Father's Day with a grand slam in the Phillies' 11-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
Castellanos has been the Phillies' most consistent outfielder this season. In 72 games, he's slashing .278/.321/.425, with seven home runs, 36 RBIs, 31 runs scored and two stolen bases. He has reduced his strikeout rate to 18.9 percent this season, down from a career-high 27.6 percent in 2023 and 21.1 percent last season.
We'll have to wait to see if there's any further fallout from this incident, with more answers likely coming after tonight's game.
As for the Phillies' lineup, Max Kepler will start in right field and bat cleanup in Castellanos' place. Brandon Marsh will start in left and Johan Rojas gets the nod in center. You can see the full lineup in our lineup preview piece.