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The Philadelphia Phillies are just one game shy of .500 going into their three-game series against the San Diego Padres.
While not apart of the same division, the Padres and Phillies have some recent history. In 2022, the Phillies defeat the Padres four games to one in the NLCS and advance to the World Series.
Aside from one Philadelphia’s most historic playoff series wins, one of their former players was picked up by the Padres at the start of this season.
Nick Castellanos was one of the Phillies every day starters in the outfielder from 2022 to 2025. Drama between Castellanos and the organization ensued, leading to his release ahead of the 2026 season.
Now, Castellanos is set to start in right field against his former team.
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The Philadelphia Phillies are set to take on the San Diego Padres at Petco Park at 6:40 P.M. PST on Monday, May 25. This marks outfielder Nick Castellanos’ first meeting with his former teammate since getting released on February 12, after several failed attempts to trade his contract.
Castellanos met with the Phillies’ media ahead of the game to share his feelings about facing his former teammates for the first time.
“I’m excited to see a lot of my guys,” Castellanos stated. “I’m happy to see everybody man.”
“It was great man, a lot of winning,” Castellanos said of the Phillies’ organization. “Obviously, we fell short in the World Series which is the ultimate goal, but four straight tips to the postseason, deep into the postseason, a lot of memorable moments, a lot of sad moments, you know? But it’s going to be a part of my life that I remember forever.”
When answering questions about the difference between the Phillies and Padres organizations, Castellanos emphasizes communication.
“I think you can fill in the blanks on that,” Castellanos said when answering a question about how the communication is different from the Padres.
Nick Castellanos has accepted a role in San Diego as a part-time player. It’s something he struggled with during his time with the Phillies.
What’s different? Better communication, Nick said. Castellanos last year was critical of former manager Rob Thomson’s communication style.
Castellanos also emphasizes that he does not have any hard feelings towards the organization for the way things ended.
“What, I’m going to sit here and just be thinking about a lot of stuff and be playing judge and jury? I could do that, but it’s not going to help anybody or make any situation better,” Castellanos said when asked about how he thinks the Phillies handled the situation surrounding his release.
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Former Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson, was Nick Castellanos’ skipper his entire career in Philly.
Following Thomson’s midseason firing, Castellanos expresses that Thomson lacked communication as a manager. The now-Padre also shared how he felt about Don Mattingly getting the opportunity to take over as the Phillies’ new manager:
“My thought was ‘right man, right spot,’” Castellanos said. “The fact that a father is able to work underneath his son is a beautiful thing. I think that baseball is a personal family, authentic game.”
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After a down year in Philly in 2025, Castellanos accepted his role as a part-time player with his new team, the San Diego Padres. The Padres are paying Castellanos the league minimum, while Phillies still have on year left on his contract that they are required to pay.
The Phillies are paying Nick Castellanos about $19.2 million to play for the Padres. He’s batting .190 with 4 home runs, 19 RBIs, .578 OPS and -0.8 WAR. They are paying Adolis García $10 million to be his replacement. He’s batting .203 with 4 homers, 15 RBIs, a .607 OPS and -0.3
While these are not superstar numbers by any means, Castellanos is getting the job done in a minimum role. He has played in 35 out of 52 games this season.
Tonight, Castellanos is +700 to hit a home run against his former team.
Nick Castellanos is +700 tonight to hit a home run against the Phillies.
(@LuckyRebel__ odds)
Castellanos will be batting eighth and starting in right fielder for the Padres.
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See the lineups between the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres on Monday, 25:
Philadelphia:
Starting pitcher: LHP Jesús Luzardo
San Diego:
Starting pitcher: RHP Griffin Canning
McKenna Van Gundy McKenna Van Gundy is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. She spent two years as a sports contributor for her University's newspaper, covering games and writing feature stories on players and coaches. She currently works for the NFL as a digital programming associate and lives in the greater Los Angeles area. More about McKenna Van Gundy
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