Castellanos Returns to Philadelphia After Phillies Released Him in February, Now Hitting .191 for Padres
The Padres outfielder spoke to reporters in Philadelphia on June 2 about his four years with the Phillies and his February 2026 release.
ESPNNick Castellanos returned to Philadelphia on June 2 as an outfielder for the San Diego Padres and spoke to reporters before the game against the Phillies. Castellanos sat shirtless with his legs stretched out and right foot on a clubhouse chair. He greeted stadium employees he had known, including "Luke from the gift shop," and recalled highlights from his time with the Phillies.
Those moments included a walk-off hit against the Mets in Game 2 of the 2024 NL Division Series and a game-ending catch when the Phillies clinched the 2022 NL pennant, after which he gave the game ball to reliever Ranger Suárez. The Phillies released Castellanos in February 2026 ahead of the team's first full-squad workout at spring training.
They owed him $20 million for the final season of the $100 million, five-year contract he had signed with the club.
"My phone was on," Castellanos said. "All they needed was a conversation like, this is going to be your role. " Castellanos said his relationship with the Phillies had become strained in his final season, citing an incident in June 2025 when he brought a Presidente beer into the dugout after being removed from a game.
He later posted a four-page handwritten letter about the episode on social media. "Not everything that anybody does is all positive. I had highs, I had lows," he said. One high point came in 2023 when Castellanos became the first player to hit multiple home runs in consecutive postseason games, doing so against Atlanta to help the Phillies reach the NLCS.
Castellanos said he valued playing near his wife's family in New Jersey and that his young son Liam had become a local figure at Citizens Bank Park, often shagging balls in the outfield and posing for photos with fans. "I had a good four years here," he said. Castellanos was not in the lineup against Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola on June 2.
191 with four home runs in 39 games this season. He wore flip-flops and a T-shirt while mingling behind the batting cage with former teammates, including pitcher Jesus Luzardo. Castellanos said he expected more positive than negative reactions from Phillies fans.
"Any time I run into anybody that's a Phillies fan, away from cameras, away from the field, I get nothing but a lot of love and positivity," he said. "I spoke my mind, I went about my business, I played every day, I never really hid on the IL," Castellanos added. "Did I do everything 100 percent correct?
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