Phillies release OF Nick Castellanos, who addressed 'Miami incident' on social media
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 17: Nick Castellanos #8 of the Philadelphia Phillies looks on against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on September 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Phillies have released outfielder Nick Castellanos, the team announced on Thursday.
What we know:
Castellanos' release comes after the Phillies reportedly told the outfielder not to show up to spring training.
The 33-year-old signed a 5-year, $100M contract with the Phillies before the 2022 season.
Castellanos played in 147 games last season, hitting .250 with 17 home runs and 72 RBI.
The backstory:
Castellanos' tumultuous 2025 season involved an incident in Miami where he clashed with manager Rob Thompson in the dugout, resulting in him being benched the next day.
Castellanos addressed this incident in a goodbye letter posted to social media, revealing that the incident happened when he was frustrated after being taken out of a close game.
In the letter, Castellanos said he brought a beer into the dugout and sat next to Rob Thompson "and let him know that too much slack in some areas and too tight of restrictions in others are not conducive to us winning."
Castellanos said his teammates took the beer out of his hand before he could take a sip. Thompson and President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski met with Castellanos after the game.
"We aired out our differences and the conversation ended with me apologizing for letting my emotions get the best of me," Castellanos wrote.
Castellanos' post also included a thank you to members of the Phillies organization, including Dombrowski and owner John Middleton. He also thanked the people of Philadelphia for their support of the team and of his son.
"To the people of the city, thank you for showing up these past 4 years. Applauding or booing you were there," he wrote. "Above all thank you for embracing Liam the way you did. For that, I can never repay."